LIBRARY 

OF  TIIK 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


O 


Mrs.  SARAH  P.  WALS WORTH. 

Received  October,  1894. 
Accessions  No.  fTi)  Itf  I        Class  No. 


AND 


B.WAiSWORTH;/LB!oCl 

SIXTEENTH  THOUSAND. 

M1EMOT^¥ 


MOTHER  AND  WIFE 


BY 

MARGARET  C.  CONKLING, 

ACTBOI  or  HARPERS'  TRANSLATION  OF  "  FLORIAN'S  HISTORY  OF  Tn» 
ttooRS  or  SPAIN;"  "ISABEL,  OR  TRIALS  OF  THE  HEART;" 

ETC.,    ETC. 


*'  Of  differing  themes  the  veering  song  was  mix'd." 

"To  teach  us  how  divine  a  thing 
A  woman  may  be  made." 


NEW  EDITION,    REVISED    AND    ENLARGED. 


AUBURN  AND  BUFFALO: 

MILLER,  OETON  &  MULLIGAN, 

1854. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1850,  by 

DERBY,  MILLER,  AND  COMPANY, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  for  the  Northern   District  of  New  York. 


TO 

MRS.  WILLIAM  H.  SEWATO), 

A  SLIGHT  TE1BUTE  TO  HER*  MANY  VIRTUEa 

AND 

IN    TOKEN    OF   HIGH   REGARD, 

THIS  VOLUME 
IS  VERT   EESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED. 


THANKS  for  the  picture  of  thy  daily  life— 
Thy  bright  example,  Daughter,  Mother,  Wife! 
The  watchful  care  that  cheers  thy  sire's  decline, 
As  a  lone  shaft's  long  shielded  by  a  vine, 
A  gentle,  holy  lesson,  graven  deep, 
Thy  daughter,  cherished  in  her  heart,  will  keep; 
Thy  couch  of  suffering  she  '11  bend  above, 
And  soothe  thee,  ever,  with  devoted  love. 
Constant  to  thee,  thy  sons  will  crown  thy  days 
With  reverence,  heart-felt  blessings,  fondest  praise} 
And  HE,  still  proving  the  truest  of  friends, 
The  homage  of  whose  faith  on  thee  attends, 
Wherever  tossed  'mid  life's  tumultuous  jar, 
E'er  turn  to  thee,  his  fixed,  his  guiding  star, 
And  in  thy  smile  benign,  confiding  seek 
The  peace,  the  happiness,  thy  prayers  bespeak  I— 
When  thou  in  Heaven  dost  fold  thy  spirit-wing, 
Around  thy  name  will  sweetest  memories  cling, 
Eoft  as  the  balmy  breath  of  fragrance  cast 
On  earthly  bowers,  where  Peri's  wing  has  pass'd. 


i  DEDICATION. 

Or  radiance  ling'ring  round  the  glowing  West, 
When  day  serene  has  gently  sunk  to  rest! 

Long  may  Columbia's  Daughters  thus  portray 
The  lofty  virtue  of  her  earlier  day  !— 
And  may  the  blessings  of  thy  heart  and  hearth 
Change  but  for  those  of  bright,  empyreal  birth! 

M.  o.  a 

Melrose,  January  1st,  1850. 


MARY  WASHINGTON. 


Life  is  not  lost,  from  which  is  brought 

Endless  renown.  SPEHCER. 


Virtue,  on  no  aid  extraneous  bent, 
Is  to  herself,  her  own  bright  ornament. 

TAMO. 


CONTENTS 

OF   THE 

LIFE  OF  MARY  WASHINGTON. 


PAOK 

INTRODUCTION 13 


CHAPTER  I. 

Mrs.  Washington's  Birth — Descent — Family  Name — Education — Mar 
riage — Position,  Character,  and  Occupation  of  her  Husband — Mr. 
Washington's  previous  Marriage — Date  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Mar 
riage — Her  place  of  Residence — Birth  of  her  son,  George — Mr. 
Washington  removes  from  his  former  Home — Names  of  Mrs. 
Washington's  six  Children — Death  of  Augustine  Washington — State 
of  his  pecuniary  affairs  at  his  Death— Mr.  Sparks'  statements  on  this 
subject— Mrs.  Washington's  Practical  Abilities  called  into  requisition 
—The  sole  Guide  of  her  Children  after  the  Death  of  her  Husband— 
Her  system  of  Domestic  Education  and  Discipline — Her  good  sense 
illustrated  in  the  early  Training  of  her  son  George— Mrs.  Washing 
ton  a  (J/iristian  Matron  .......... 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  History  of  Mrs.  Washington  associated  with  that  of  her  son  George 
— His  early  efforts  at  Self-Maintenance — His  initiatory  Military  Ad 
ventures  a  source  of  Anxiety  to  his  Mother— The  Deaths  of  Mrs 
Washington's  two  eldest  sons — LETTER  addressed  by  Col.  Washing 
ton  to  his  Mother,  after  the  Battle  of  the  Monongahela — His  nines' 
— Appointment  to  the  Chief  Command  of  the  Virginia  Troops- 
LETTKR  to  Mrs.  Washington  upon- this  subject — Her  clear-sightef 
discernment  of  the  practical  Objections  to  this  Post — No  MLnuti 
Details  respecting  this  portion  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Life  .  . 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PAOB 

The  Commencement  of  the  Revolution— Washington's  Appointment 
as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American  Army — Mrs.  Washington's 
pious  Resignation — Her  Removal  from  her  country-seat  to  Fred- 
ericksburg,  in  Virginia — Bids  adieu  to  her  son — Her  Remedy  for 
Mental  Anxiety — Her  practical  Knowledge  now  peculiarly  available 
to  Herself  and  others — Mrs.  Washington's  active  Habits — Daily 
Practice  of  driving  out  to  her  Farm— Her  prompt  Discipline  in  re 
spect  to  her  Subordinates — Anecdote— Constantly  receives  the  Visits 
and  Attentions  of  her  Children  and  Grand-children — Mrs.  Washing 
ton's  Interest  in  Public  Affairs— Her  confidence  in  the  ultimate 
Triumph  of  Right — Her  Reception  of  the  news  of  the  successful 
Passage  of  the  Delaware — Expression  of  her  fervent  gratitude  to 
Heaven,  when  informed  of  the  Surrender  of  the  British  Army  at 
Yorktown — The  Gommaader-in-Chief  hastens  to  the  Presence  of 
his  Mother— Mrs.  Washington's  Bearing  and  Conversation  on  this 
Occasion  ....  .41 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Washington's  Public  Welcome  at  Fredericksburg — Preparations  for  a 
BALL — Mrs.  Washington  specially  Invited — Accepts  the  Invitation, 
attended  by  her  Son — Her  Reception  by  the  Company — Her  Dress, 
Manners,  and  Appearance  on  this  public  occasion — Astonishment  of 
the  Foreign  Officers  present — Characteristic  Remarks  of  Mrs.  Wash 
ington,  upon  Retiring — The  Commander-in-Chief  dances  his  last 
Minuet  .  .  50 


CHAPTER  V. 

Mrs.  Washington's  Children  desire  her  to  reside  with  them— She  pre 
fers  a  separate  Establishment — The  affectionate  Devotion  of  her 
Children  and  Friends — Continues  her  habits  of  diligent  Exertion 
and  Industry— Declines  the  Assistance  of  her  Son-in-Law  L.  the 
Management  of  her  Affairs — Receives  a  visit  from  the  Maoris  de 
La  Fayette — .Mrs.  Washington's  celebrated  Remark  respef  ung  her 
son  George — The  dignified  nature  of  her  Sentiments  in  re  atiou  to 
him — The  Influence  she  always  maintained  over  his  Mind  —Wash 
ington's  unalterable  Reverence  for  his  Mother — His  implicit  Obe 
dience  to  her— Mrs.  Washington's  Devotional  Habits — Her  single 
mental  Infirmity— Personal  Appearance  of  Mrs.  Washington  .  .  55 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FAGS 

President  Washington  takes  a  final  Leave  of  his  Mother,  before  assum 
ing  his  new  duties — Mrs.  Washington's  impaired  Health — Her  last 
Illness  and  Death — LETTER  from  Washington  to  his  Sister  in  relation 
to  the  Death  of  his  Mother — Extract  from  Sparks'  LIKE  OF  WASH 
INGTON  63 


CHAPTER  VII. 

General  Summary  of  the  Character  of  Mrs.  Washington        .  .68 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Place  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Interment— Monument  to  her  Memory- 
Laying  of  the  Corner-Stone  by  the  President  of  the  United  States- 
Extracts  from  his  Eulogy — Lines  written  for  this  occasion,  by  Mrs. 
Sigourney — Description  of  the  Monument  ......  73 

Appendix  to  Mary  Washington     .....*  83 


THE  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON. 


INTRODUCTION. 

HERE  WOMAN  REIGNS  ;  the  mother,  daughter,  wife,— 
Strews  with  fresh  flowers  the  narrow  way  of  life ; 
In  the  clear  heaven  of  her  delightful  eye, 
An  angel  guard  of  loves  and  graces  lie  ; 
Around  her  knees  domestic  duties  meet, 
And  fireside  pleasures  gambol  at  her  feet. 

MONTGOMERY. 

THE  artist  who  would  embody  the  sublime  IDEAL 
which  has  long  engrossed  his  spiritual  contemplation 
— the  idol  of  his  ceaseless  adoration,  the  imaginary 
impersonation  of  his  most  exalted  conceptions  of  the 
Beautiful — again  and  again  shrinks  dismayed,  despair 
ing,  from  the  impossible  achievement  he  would  fain 
essay.  Thus  does  the  biographer,  whose  best  quali 
fication  for  the  task  too  partial  friendship  has  assigned 
her,  is  profound  reverence  for  the  theme, — approach 
the  awe-inspiring  subject  of  the  following  Memoir. 

The  life  of  woman,  almost  in  proportion  as  it  is  true 
to  the  loftiest  impulses  and  purest  principles  by  which 
she  can  be  actuated,  presents  comparatively  few  inci 
dents  claiming  circumstantial  record  or  remembrance. 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

Though  the  wife,  or  the  mother  of  one  who  fills  a 
farge  space  in  the  world's  eye,  it  is  still,  usually,  hers 
to  dwell  only  within  the  quiet  precincts  of  domestic 
retirement. 

The  Hero,  like  a  majestic  river,  that  bears  the  wealth 
of  cities  on  its  ample  waters,  and  diffuses  benefits  to 
thousands,  speeds  onward  in  his  high  career,  his  steps 
resounding  in  the  ears  of  listening  nations ;  while  the 
mother,  from  whom,  perchance,  he  derived  the  intellec 
tual  power  that  impels  and  sustains  this  lofty  course, 
still,  like  a  life-giving  fountain  whose  sweet,  bright  wa 
ters  diffuse  beauty,  and  health,  and  happiness,  lingers 
ever  in  the  shade,  revered  in  the  protecting  sanctity 
of  Home. 

The  world  may  never  know,  may  never  seek,  the 
gushing  waters  of  the  secluded  fountain.  But  beside 
its  peace -breathing  murmurs,  the  worn  and  weary 
wanderer, — fame-pilgrim  though  he  be,  seeks  repose  ; 
returning  once  more,  and  yet  once  more,  to  imbibe  its 
benign  and  soothing  influences.  In  the  quiet  haunt  it 
loves,  dwell  gentle  spirits  who  minister  to  the  wayfarer, 
and  watch,  with  ceaseless  care,  over  the  sequestered 
purity  and  loveliness,  which  it  is  their  precious  charge 
forever  to  preserve,  in  inexhaustible  and  unsullied  per 
fection. 

As  flow  the  crystal  waters  of  a  hallowed  well-spring, 
glided  on  the  life  of  MARY  WASHINGTON;  thus  serene, 
and  pure,  and  secluded,  thus  genial  and  beneficent, 
and  blessed ! 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  name  of  Mary — how  the  heart 
Thrills  at  the  sound  of  that  sweet  name  I 

The  holiest  thoughts  it  may  impart, 
Or  wake  the  soul  to  deeds  of  fame  I  J.W 


Well-ordered  home,  man's  best  delight  to  make, 

And  with  submissive  wisdom,  modest  skill, 

To  raise  the  virtues THOMPSON. 


MRS.  MARY  WASHINGTON  was  born  in  the  Col 
ony  of  Virginia,  towards  the  conclusion  of  the 
year  1706.  Little  is  known  of  her  ancestors, 
except  that  she  inherited  an  unimpeachable 
name.  We  are  informed  that  she  was  descended 
from  a  highly  respectable  family  of  English  colo 
nists,  named  Ball,  who  originally  established 
themselves  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac. 

It  is  to  be  lamented  that  no  records  of  the 
youth,  or  early  womanhood  of  this  illustrious 
lady  have  been  preserved. 

We  are,  therefore,  in  ignorance  of  the  educa 
tion  and  domestic  influences  by  which  her  re 
markable  character  was  developed  and  matured. 


16  MEMOIR    OF 

But  judging  from  the  rare  combination  of 
mental  and  moral  qualities  which  we  find  exhib 
ited  in  the  brief  history  of  her  later  life,  we  may 
suppose  her  home  education  to  have  been  partic 
ularly  practical  and  judicious ;  such,  indeed,  was 
almost  the  only  instruction  received  by  women 
in  this  country,  even  at  a  much  later  period  than 
that  to  which  we  refer. 

To  the  abiding  effect  of  early  maternal  train 
ing,  Mrs.  Washington  must  have  been,  at  least 
in  some  degree,  indebted  for  her  habits  of  unu 
sual  industry,  economy,  and  regularity,  as  well 
as  for,  the  excellent  constitution,  that  gave  vigor 
and  practical  usefulness  to  the  operations  of  a 
naturally  powerful  intellect.  To  the  ineffaceable 
impressions  of  infant  years,  we  may  also  ascribe 
the  moral  elevation  and  the  exalted  piety  associ 
ated  with  her  noble  mind. 

Augustine  Washington,  the  husband  of  the  cele 
brated  subject  of  our  Memoir,  was  a  gentleman  of 
considerable  wealth,  and  of  distinguished  lineage 
and  position.  Several  of  his  ancestors  early  em 
igrated  to  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  and  honorable 
mention  is  made  of  more  than  one  of  them  in  the 
annals  of  the  primitive  days  of  the  Old  Dominion.* 

*  Everything  relating,  even  remotely,  to  the  history  of  "Wash- 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  17 

"  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  planter,  which, 
from  the  first  settlement  of  the  country,  had  been 
the  pursuit  of  nearly  all  the  principal  gentle- 
men  of  Virginia." 

Little  can  now  be  definitely  ascertained  re 
specting  the  individual  character  of  the  father  of 
the  great  American  Hero.  His  premature  death, 
and  the  entire  want  of  any  minute  family  record 
respecting  him,  render  research  in  relation  to 
his  personal  history  almost  wholly  futile.  We 
can  only  infer  his  worth  from  the  distinct  re 
membrance  in  which  his  paternal  tenderness 
was  always  held  by  his  most  eminent  descendant, 
and  from  the  fact  that  the  valuable  estate  he  pos 
sessed  at  his  death,  was  "  chiefly  acquired  by  his 
own  industry  and  enterprise,  which  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  in  the  concerns  of  business,  he  was 
methodical,  skilful,  honorable,  and  energetic."* 

Mr.  Washington  was  twice  married.  Two 
sons  survived  his  first  union.  He  was  united  to 
Mary  Ball  on  the  6th  of  March,  1730. 

ington,  is  so  generally  interesting,  that  we  append,  for  the  con 
venience  of  the  curious  in  such  matters,  Mr.  Sparks'  brief  but 
clear  exposition  of  the  genealogy  of  his  father's  family.    S**« 
Appendix — Note  A. 
*  Sparks'  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON. 
2 


18  MEMOIR    OF 

After  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Washington's  first 
residence  was  in  Westmoreland  County,  Vir 
ginia,  not  far  from  the  beautiful  river  with  which 
so  many  of  the  most  agreeable  reminiscences  of 
her  childhood  and  youth  were  associated. 

In  this,  the  first  home  of  her  wedded  life,  two 
years  subsequent  to  the  union  that  promised  such 
exalted  and  continued  felicity,  George,  her  eldest 
son,  was  born. 

Soon  after  this  event,  Mr.  Washington  removed 
with  his  family,  "  to  an  estate  owned  by  him  in 
Stafford  County,  Virginia,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Rappahannoc  River,  opposite  Fredericksburg." 

As  years  sped  on,  Mrs.  Washington  became 
the  mother  of  two  daughters,  and  three  sons. 
She  had  thus,  six  children  : — these  were  succes 
sively,  George,  Betty,  Samuel,  John  Augustine, 
Charles,  and  Mildred.  The  latter  died  in  in 
fancy. 

We  discover  no  positive  proof  that  the  elder 
sons  of  her  husband  were  under  the  immediate 
care  of  Mrs.  Washington,  but  as  many  incidental 
indications  present  themselves  of  the  cordial 
affection,  unity  and  interest  that  existed,  in  later 
years,  among  the  members  of  the  family,  collec 
tively,  we  may  believe,  especially  in  connection 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  19 

with  the  strong  sense  of  duty  which,  apparently, 
characterized  every  action  of  this  faithful  wife 
and  mother,  that  her  native  benevolence  and  jus 
tice  were  not  at  fault  in  this  instance. 

The  domestic  happiness  of  this  interesting  little 
circle  was  soon  most  gainfully  and  unexpectedly 
interrupted.  A  short  and  sudden  illness  termi 
nated  the  life  of  Mr.  Washington,  on  the  12th  of 
April,  1743,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years. 

In  the  brief  biographical  notices  of  Mrs.  Wash 
ington  which  have,  hitherto,  appeared,  she  is  rep 
resented  as  being  left  by  the  death  of  her  husband 
with  very  limited  pecuniary  resources.  The 
testimony  of  Mr.  Sparks, — than  which  nothing 
can  well  be  more  accurate  and  incontrovertible, — • 
militates,  most  emphatically,  against  the  impres 
sion  thus  generally  expressed.  The  following 
passages  contain  Mr.  Sparks'  statement  upon  this 
subject : — "  It  appears  by  his  will  that  he  [Mr. 
W.]  possessed  a  large  and  valuable  property  in 
lands."  *  ***** 

"  Each  of  his  sons  inherited  from  him  a  separate 
plantation.  To  the  eldest,  Lawrence,  he  be 
queathed  an  estate  near  Hunting  Creek,  after 
wards  Mount  Vernon,  which  then  consisted  of 
twenty-five  hundred  acres ;  and  also  other  lands, 


20  MEMOIR    OF 

and  shares  in  iron-works  situated  in  Virginia  and 
Maryland,  which  were  productive.  The  second 
son  had  for  his  part  an  estate  in  Westmoreland. 
To  George  were  left  the  lands  and  mansion  where 
his  father  lived  at  the  time  of  his  decease ;  and  to 
each  of  the  other  sons  an  estate  of  six  or  seven 
hundred  acres.  The  youngest  daughter  died 
when  an  infant,  and  for  the  only  remaining  one 
a  suitable  provision  was  made  in  the  will.  It  is 
thus  seen  that  Augustine  Washington,  although 
suddenly  cut  off  in  the  vigor  of  manhood,  left  all  his 
children  in  a  state  of  comparative  independence. 
Confiding  in  the  prudence  of  the  mother,  he 
directed  that  the  proceeds  of  all  the  property  of 
her  children  should  be  at  her  disposal,  till  they 
should  respectively  come  of  age." 

It  was  now  that  the  extraordinary  character 
istics  of  this  exemplary  matron  began  most  strik 
ingly  to  exhibit  themselves. 

Gifted  with  great  firmness  and  constancy  of 
purpose,  as  well  as  with  a  clear,  discriminating 
judgment,  and  remarkable  mental  independence, 
her  self- reliance  was  rapidly  strengthened,  and 
soon  rendered  habitual,  by  circumstances  so 
peculiarly  demanding  its  exercise,  as  those  ir 
which  duty  imperatively  summoned  her  to  act. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  21 

Her  thorough  knowledge  of  practical  life  en 
abled  her  not  only  to  superintend,  in  person,  the 
complicated  and  important  pecuniary  affairs  of 
her  children,  and  the  general  interests  of  her 
household,  but,  also,  by  her  indefatigable  industry 
and  ingenuity  to  supply,  in  a  good  degree,  what 
ever  was  necessary  to  the  welfare  and  comfort 
of  her  family. 

Mrs.  Washington  had,  henceforth,  the  exclu 
sive  direction  of  the  primary  education  of  her 
children.  At  once  their  companion,  mentor, 
counsellor,  and  friend,  she  encouraged  them  to 
mental  exertion,  to  moral  culture,  to  athletic  ex 
ercise.  She  taught  them  self-respect,  respect 
for  the  rights  and  feelings  of  others,  self-control, 
and  patience  under  fatigue  and  suffering;  she 
stimulated  in  them  a  fondness  for  labor  and  for 
knowledge ;  she  inspired  them  with  affection  for 
each  other,  and  for  their  country,  and  with  the 
fear  and  love  of  God.  In  short,  it  was  her  sys 
tematic  and  unceasing  endeavor,  to  illustrate  and 
enforce  willing  compliance  with  the  all-wise  and 
immutable  laws  by  which  the  physical,  intellectual, 
and  moral  nature  of  man  should  be,  harmoniously 
and  unitedly,  governed.  Thus  order,  regulari 
ty,  and  occupation,  sympathy,  cheerfulness,  and 


22  MEMOIR    OF 

unity,  reigned  supreme  among  the  youthful  deni 
zens  of  her  little  world  of  home.  She  exacted 
implicit  obedience  from  her  children,  and  she 
tempered  maternal  tenderness  by  strict  domestic 
discipline ;  but  we  are  told  by  one*  who,  as  the 
companion  of  her  son,  occasionally  shared  her 
care  and  hospitality,  that  she  was  "  indeed  truly 
kind." 

In  that  genuine  and  judicious  kindness  lies  the 
secret  of  the  power  always  maintained  by  this 
venerated  mother  over  the  minds  of  her  offspring. 
If  she  assumed  the  right  to  direct  the  actions  of 
others,  her  daily  life  exhibited  such  powers  of 
self-control  and  self-denial  as  convinced  her  chil 
dren,  by  more  irresistible  evidence  than  mere 
words  could  convey,  of  the  justice  and  disin 
terestedness  by  which  she  was  habitually  ac 
tuated. 

That  she  rendered  their  home,  simple,  nay  even 

*  Laurence  "Washington,  Esq.,  of  Oliotank,  -who  thus  described 
his  distinguished  relative:  "I  was  often  there  with  George,  his 
playmate,  schoolmate,  and  young  man's  companion.  Of  the 
mother  I  was  more  afraid  than  of  my  own  parents ;  she  awed 
me  in  the  midst  of  her  kindness,  for  she  was  indeed  truly  kind 
and  even  now,  when  time  has  whitened  my  locks,  and  I  am  the 
grandfather  of  a  second  generation,  I  could  not  behold  that 
majestic  woman  without  feelings  it  is  impossible  to  describe." 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  23 

numble,  though  it  might  be,  endearing  to  her 
children,  is  proved  in  some  degree,  by  the  fre 
quency  and  pleasure  with  which,  as  we  gather 
from  much  incidental  testimony,  the  happy  band 
that  once  rejoiced  in  the  comfort  and  security  of 
her  well-ordered  abode,  in  after  years  revisited 
the  maternal  roof.  Indeed,  we  are  expressly 
informed,  upon  the  best  authority,  that  an  inter 
diction  of  the  innocent  amusements  and  relaxa 
tions,  a  taste  for  which  is  so  natural  to  the  young, 
formed  no  part  of  the  system  of  juvenile  training 
practised  with  such  preeminent  success  by  Mrs. 
Washington. 

She  never  rendered  necessary  restraint  and 
discipline  needlessly  distasteful  or  repulsive  by 
ascetic  sternness  or  harsh  compulsion.  The 
power  that  sometimes  gently  coerced  the  subjects 
of  her  guidance  was  a  moral  suasion  far  more 
effective  and  beneficial  than  influences  such  as 
those  can  ever  exert. 

Of  all  the  mental  qualities  of  this  celebrated 
woman,  perhaps  none  was  more  constantly  illus 
trated  in  her  life  than  her  native  good  sense,  the 
practical  effects  of  which  were  infinitely  more 
useful  and  precious  to  her  children  than  she  could 


24  MEMOIR    OF 

possibly  have   rendered   volumes  of  theoretica, 
precept,  however  philosophical  and  profound. 

To  her  possession  of  this  unpretending,  bu 
invaluable  characteristic,  emphatically,  her  illus 
trious  son  was  indebted  for  the  education  that 
formed  the  basis  of  his  greatness. 

This  it  was  that  taught  the  great  WASHINGTON 
those  habits  of  application,  industry,  and  regu 
larity,  that  were  of  such  essential  service  to  him, 
alike  in  the  camp  and  in  the  cabinet,  and  which 
so  materially  contributed  to  render  his  character 
a  perfect  model,  bequeathed  to  successive  ages. 

This  it  was,  that,  by  inculcating  and  enfor 
cing  habitual  temperance,  exercise,  and  activity, 
strengthened  and  developed  the  wonderful  physi 
cal  powers  that  were  rivalled  only  by  the  in 
domitable  will  and  stupendous  wisdom  of  her  son. 

To  his  mother  Washington  owed  the  high  value 
he~  attached  to  "the  only  possession  of  which  all 
men  are  prodigal,  and  of  which  all  men  should  be 
covetous :"  and  from  her  early  instructions  he 
imbibed  that  love  of  truth  for  which  he  was  re 
markable,  and  which  is  so  pleasingly  and  forcibly 
illustrated  in  some  of  the  favorite  anecdotes  of 
our  childhood.* 

*  Our  juvenile  readers  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  familiar  with 


MART    WASHINGTON.  25 

Trained  to  unvarying  respect  for  the  truths  of 
revealed  religion,  in  which  she  was  herself  a  firm 
believer,  and  rigidly  regardful  of  the  dictates  of 
an  enlightened  conscience,  her  gifted  son  was 
indebted  to  Mrs.  Washington  for  his  quick  moral 
sense,  and  the  unflinching  adhesion  to  principle 
that  so  strongly  marked  every  act  of  his  public 
and  private  life. 

The  noble  friend  and  pupil  of  Washington,  and 
others  among  her  numerous  panegyrists,  have 
likened  the  mother  of  the  "  Hero"  to  a  Spartan 
matron.  With  due  deference  to  the  high  source 
whence  the  comparison  emanated,  it  seems 
scarcely  just  to  her  who  was  its  subject.  Her 
life  reminds  us  rather,  of  those  celebrated  women 
whose  names  are  recorded  with  grateful  affection 
and  respect  by  St.  Paul,  in  his  Epistles, — those 
heroic,  self-sacrificing  friends  and  champions  of 
early  Christianity,  and  its  devoted  advocates,  who 
were  "succorers  of  many,"  who  scorned  not  to 
"  bestow  much  labor"  upon  the  temporal  neces 
sities  of  the  Apostle  and  his  fellow-martyrs,  and 

the  stories  of  "  The  Little  Hatchet,"  and  of  "  The  Sorrel  Colt," 
almost  the  only  authentic  anecdotes  of  the  childhood  of  the 
great  American  hero,  and  which  also  incidentally  illustrate  mor* 
than  one  of  his  youthful  habits. 


26  MEMOIR    OF 

who  even  "  laid  down  their  own  necks"  for  them ! 
Mrs.  Washington  was  a  CHRISTIAN  MATRON,  who 
derived  her  ideas  of  parental  authority  and  gov 
ernment  from  the  same  BOOK,  wherein  she  sought 
her  pwn  rules  of  life ;  and  she  was  as  much 
superior  to  a  Spartan  mother,  as  are  the  inspired 
principles  of  our  blessed  religion  to  the  heathen 
teachings  which  exalted  mere  physical  courage 
above  the  highest  virtues  of  humanity ! 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  27 


CHAPTER  II. 

'T  is  the  Divinity  that  stirs  within  us  I  ADDIBOI?. 

Must  such  minds  be  nourislvd  in  the  wild, 

Deep  in  the  upturned  forests,  midst  the  roar 

Of  cataracts,  where  nursing  Nature  smiled 

On  infant  Washington?    Has  earth  no  more 

Such  seed  within  her  breast  and  Europe  no  such  shore? 

BYRON. 

WE  are  unable  to  present  our  readers  with  any 
particulars  of  the  life  of  MRS.  WASHINGTON,  for 
several  years  previous  to  the  American  Revolu 
tion,  except  such  as  are  gleaned  from  the  pub 
lished  accounts  of  those  troubled  times,  as  asso 
ciated  with  the  history  of  her  son. 

The  incipient  workings  of  the  mighty  spirit 
destined  to  achievements  that  should  move  the 
world,  influenced  the  youthful  Washington,  when 
only  fourteen  years  of  age,  to  form  plans  for  inde 
pendent  efforts  in  a  more  enlarged  sphere  of 
exertion  than  was  afforded  him  by  the  employ 
ment  and  duties  of  home  life.  He  had  actually 
taken  the  necessary  steps  preliminary  to  entering 


23  MEMOIR    OF 

the  English  Navy,  when  the  disapproval  of  his 
mother  prevented  the  accomplishment  of  his 
design. 

Our  readers  will  be  interested  in  the  details 
respecting  this  incident  furnished  by  Mr.  Sparks : 

Washington's  "  eldest  brother,*  Lawrence,  had 
been  an  officer  in  the  late  war,  and  served  at  the 
siege  of  Carthagena  and  in  the  West  Indies. 
Being  a  well-informed  and  accomplished  gentle 
man,  he  had  acquired  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  General  Wentworth  and  Admiral  Vernon,  the 
commanders  of  the  expedition,  with  whom  he 
afterwards  kept  up  a  friendly  correspondence. 
Having  observed  the  military  turn  of  his  young 
brother,  and  looking  upon  the  British  Navy  as  the 
most  direct  road  to  distinction  in  that  line,  he 
obtained  for  George  a  midshipman's  warrant,  in 
the  year  1746,  when  he  was  fourteen  years  old. 
This  step  was  taken  with  his  acquiescence,  if  not 
at  his  request,  and  he  prepared  with  a  buoyant 
spirit  for  his  departure;  but,  as  the  time  ap 
proached,  the  solicitude  of  his  mother  interpos 
ed  with  an  authority,  to  which  nature  gave  a 
claim." 

"  At  this  critical  juncture,  Mr.  Jackson,  a  friend 

*  The  eldest  son  of  Augustine  Washington. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  29 

of  the  family,  wrote  to  Lawrence  Washington  as 
follows  •  '  I  am  afraid  Mrs.  Washington  will  not 
keep  up  her  first  resolution.  She  seems  to  dis 
like  George's  going  to  sea,  and  says,  several  per 
sons  have  told  her  it  was  a  bad  scheme.  She 
offers  several  trifling  objections,  such  as  fond  un 
thinking  mothers  habitually  suggest ;  and  I  find 
that  one  word  against  his  going  has  more  weight 
than  ten  for  it.'  She  persisted  in  opposing  the 
plan,  and  it  was  given  up.  Nor  ought  that  de 
cision  to  be  ascribed  to  obstinacy,  or  maternal 
weakness.  It  was  her  eldest  son,  whose  char 
acter  and  manners  must  already  have  exhibited 
a  promise,  full  of  solace  and  hope  to  a  widowed 
mother,  on  whom  alone  devolved  the  charge  of 
four  younger  children.  To  see  him.  separated 
from  her  at  so  tender  an  age,  exposed  to  the  perils 
of  accident  and  the  world's  rough  usage,  with 
out  a  parent's  voice  to  counsel  or  a  parent's  hand 
to  guide,  and  to  enter  on  a  theatre  of  action,  which 
would  forever  remove  him  from  her  presence, 
was  a  trial  of  her  fortitude  and  sense  of  duty, 
which  she  could  not  be  expected  to  hazard  with 
out  reluctance  and  concern."* 

Chief  Justice  Marshall's  version  of  the  matter 

*  Sparks'  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON,  vol.  i.  p.  10. 


SO  MEMOIR    OP 

ascribes  rather  a  more  active  personal  agency  to 
Washington  himself,  than  that  of  Mr.  Sparks. 
He  says  : — 

"  Those  powerful  attractions  which  the  pro 
fession  of  arms  presents  to  young  and  ardent 
minds,  possessed  their  full  influence  over  Mr 
Washington.  Stimulated  by  the  enthusiasm  of 
military  genius,  to  take  part  in  the  war  in  which 
Great  Britain  was  then  engaged,  he  had  pressed 
so  earnestly  to  enter  the  navy,  that,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  a  midshipman's  warrant  was  obtained  for 
him."* 

But  the  numerous  biographers  of  Washington, 
however  they  may  differ  in  other  respects,  agree 
in  ascribing  his  abandonment  of  this  cherished 
scheme  to  the  all-powerful  influence  of  his  mother. 
One  of  them  affirms  that  the  luggage  of  the  young 
enthusiast  was  actually  conveyed  on  board  the 
little  vessel  destined  to  bear  him  away  to  his 
new  post,  and  that,  when  he  attempted  to  bid 
adieu  to  his  only  parent,  his  previous  resolution 
to  depart  was  for  the  first  time  subdued,  in  con 
sequence  of  her  ill- concealed  dejection  and  her 
irrepressible  tears. 

Who  shall  say  that  the  decisive  interposition 

*  Marshall's  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON,  voL  L  p.  2. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  31 

of  his  mother  did  not  save  from  a  life  of  limited 
usefulness  and  comparative  obscurity,  the  embryo 
soldier  and  statesman ! 

Mrs.  Washington  proved  the  injustice  of  the 
imputation  of  weak,  maternal  fondness,  which  as 
we  have  seen  was  so  erroneously  supposed,  by  at 
least  one  of  her  friends,  to  be  the  source  of  her 
opposition  to  the  wishes  of  her  son,  by  the  cheer 
fulness  with  which,  almost  immediately  after  the 
abandonment  of  his  original  design,  she  relin 
quished  the  pleasure  and  benefit  she  would  have 
derived  from  his  continued  residence  under  the 
paternal  roof. 

Juvenile  as  he  was  for  assuming  an  occupation 
involving  responsibilities  so  serious,  the  incipient 
hero  was  soon  actively  engaged  in  the  profession 
of  engineering,  for  which  his  favorite  intellectual 
pursuits  and  his  taste  for  athletic  exercise  had 
already  prepared  him.  In  consequence  of  the 
near  vicinity  of  the  residence  of  his  half-brother, 
Lawrence,  to  the  principal  scene  of  his  operations, 
George  became  an  inmate  of  his  family,  and  con 
tinued,  thenceforth,  to  be  an  absentee  from  his  early 
home,  with  only  the  brief  exceptions  made  by  his 
being  occasionally  and  temporarily  there  to  aid  in 
the  care  and  arrangement  of  his  mother's  affairs. 


32  MEMOIR    OP 

A  few  years  after  his  first  withdrawal  from  her 
immediate  personal  guidance,  this  self-sacrificing 
parent  was,  for  several  successive  months,  de 
prived  of  even  the  incidental  presence  and  society 
of  almost  the  only  one  of  her  children  who  was 
sufficiently  mature  to  be  a  congenial  and  intel 
ligent  companion  and  assistant  in  her  complicated 
and  multitudinous  avocations  and  duties.  Mr. 
Lawrence  Washington  was  compelled  by  indis 
position  to  seek  the  more  genial  climate  of  Bar- 
badoes,  upon  the  approach  of  the  winter  that 
followed  the  completion  of  the  nineteenth  year 
of  his  brother  George,  whom  he  selected  as  the 
friend  and  nurse  who  should  accompany  him 
in  his  voyage,  and  remain  with  him  after  his 
arrival  at  his  destination.  Despite  the  care  and 
kindness  of  his  amiable  attendant,  the  invalid 
returned  to  Virginia  in  the  following  spring,  to 
yield  himself  a  victim  to  the  disease  that  had  im 
pelled  him  to  leave  home.  Subsequent  to  this 
sad  event,  the  youthful  George,  as  one  of  the 
executors  of  his  will,  was  long  detained  from  his 
earlier  home  by  his  needful  care  of  the  estate  and 
family  of  his  deceased  brother. 

Mrs.  Washington,  ever  too  disinterestedly- 
anxious  for  the  true  welfare  and  happiness  of  her 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  33 

son,  willingly  to  interpose  the  slightest  obstacle  in 
the  high  and  honorable  path  which  circumstances 
and  his  own  aspirations  and  exertions  combined 
to  mark  out  for  him,  most  uncomplainingly  and 
unselfishly  resigned  the  gratification  and  assist 
ance  she  would  have  derived  from  his  residence 
with  her,  to  promote  his  present  and  ulterior  ad 
vantage. 

The  lapse  of  years  gradually  diminished  the 
imperative  exertions  and  high  duties  to  which 
Mrs.  Washington,  during  the  prime  of  her  wo 
manhood,  had  so  ceaselessly  consecrated  all  the 
powers  of  her  being.  Her  eldest  daughter  as 
sumed  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  wedded 
life,  and  was  established  in  the  new  home,  which 
wise  maternal  training  had  well  fitted  her  to 
adorn  ;  George,  when  not  engaged  in  his  profes 
sional  avocations,  resided  upon  the  patrimonial 
estate  of  Mount  Vernon,  to  which  he  became 
heir  after  the  death  of  the  only  child  of  Mr. 
Lawrence  Washington  ;  and  the  remaining  chil 
dren  were  rapidly  advancing  beyond  the  neces 
sity  of  that  unsleeping  vigilance  by  which  the 
safety,  health,  and  happiness  of  their  earlier  days 
had  been  so  effectually  secured. 

Some  years  later,  when  the  young  Virginian 


34  MEMOIR    OF 

who  was  destined,  eventually,  to  fiil  so  large  a 
space  in  the  world's  eye,  commenced  his  initia 
tory  military  career,  in  the  service  of  his  native 
state,  we  sympathize  in  the  maternal  anxiety 
awakened  at  once  for  his  personal  safety  and  for 
his  success  in  arms. 

The  only  letters  addressed  to  his  mother,  in 
cluded  in  the  published  collection  of  Washington's 
Correspondence,  were  written  during  the  French 
War,  in  the  earliest  stages  of  which,  as  our  read 
ers  will  remember,  he  acted  as  Adjutant  of  the 
northern  division  of  Virginia  militia,  and  as  Aid- 
de-Camp  to  General  Braddock.  The  first  of 
these  was  penned  just  after  the  memorable  and 
disastrous  battle  of  the  Monongahela,  at  which 
nothing  but  the  unconquerable  determination, 
that  not  even  severe  illness  could  subdue,  enabled 
the  author  to  be  present ;  and  where,  if  he  won 
some  of  his  proudest  laurels,  he  was,  perhaps,  ex 
posed  to  greater  personal  danger  than  during  any 
subsequent  part  of  his  military  career. 

Distressing  as  are  the  details  it  contains,  we 
include  this  letter  in  our  Memoir,  entire  :  not  only 
as  one  of  the  two  communications,  to  which  we 
have  alluded,  but  to  assist  the  reader  in  forming 
a  more  correct  idea  than  words  of  ours  could  con- 


MARY  WASHINGTON.  35 

vey,  of  the  dignified  and  confidential  intercourse 
that  was  uninterruptedly  maintained  between 
these  distinguished  correspondents. 

"To  MRS.  MARY  WASHINGTON,  NEAR  FREDERICKSBUROV 

"  Fort  Cumberland,  18  July,  1755. 
"  Honored  Madam  : 

"As  I  doubt  not  but  you  have  heard  of  our 
defeat,  and,  perhaps,  had  it  represented  in  a  worse 
light,  if  possible,  than  it  deserves,  I  have  taken 
this  earliest  opportunity  to  give  you  some  ac 
count  of  the  engagement  as  it  happened,  within 
ten  miles  of  the  French  Fort,  on  Wednesday,  the 
9th  instant. 

"  We  marched  to  that  place,  without  any  con- 
siderable  loss,  having  only  now  and  then  a  strag 
gler  picked  up  by  the  French  and  scouting 
Indians.  When  we  came  there,  we  were  attacked 
by  a  party  of  French  and  Indians,  whose  number, 
I  am  persuaded,  did  not  exceed  three  hundred 
men  ;  while  ours  consisted  of  about  one  thousand 
three  hundred  well-armed  troops,  chiefly  regular 
soldiers,  who  were  struck  with  such  a  panic,  that 
they  behaved  with  more  cowardice  than  it  is 
possible  to  conceive.  The  officers  behaved  gal 
lantly,  in  order  to  encourage  their  men,  for  which 


36  MEMOIR    OP 

they  suffered  greatly,  there  being  nearly  sixty 
killed  and  wounded — a  large  portion  of  the  num 
ber  we  had. 

"  The  Virginia  troops  showed  a  good  deal  of 
bravery,  and  were  nearly  all  killed  ;  for  I  believe, 
out  of  three  companies  that  were  there,  scarcely 
thirty  men  were  left  alive.  Captain  Peyrouny, 
and  all  his  officers,  down  to  a  corporal,  were  killed. 
Captain  Poison  had  nearly  as  hard  a  fate,  for 
only  one  of  his  was  left.  In  short,  the  dastardly 
behavior  of  those  they  call  regulars,  exposed  all 
Others  that  were  inclined  to  do  their  duty,  10 
almost  certain  death ;  and  at  last,  in  despite  of 
all  the  efforts  of  the  officers  to  the  contrary,  they 
ran  as  sheep  pursued  by  dogs,  and  it  was  impos 
sible  to  rally  them. 

"  The  General  was  wounded,  of  which  he  died 
three  days  after.  Sir  Peter  Halkes  was  killed  in 
the  field,  where  died  many  other  brave  officers. 
I  luckily  escaped  without  a  wound,  though  I  had 
four  bullets  through  my  coat  and  two  horses  shot 
under  me.  Captains  Orme  and  Morris,  two  of 
the  aids-de-camp,  were  wounded  early  in  the  en 
gagement,  which  rendered  the  duty  harder  upon 
me,  as  I  was  the  only  one  then  left  to  distribute 
the  General's  orders,  which  I  was  scarcely  able 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  37 

to  do,  as  I  was  not  half  recovered  from  a  violent 
illness,  that  had  confined  me  to  my  bed,  and  a 
waggon  for  ten  days.  I  am  still  in  a  weak  and 
feeble  condition,  which  induces  me  to  halt  here 
two  or  three  days,  in  the  hope  of  recovering  a 
little  strength,  to  enable  me  to  proceed  home 
wards  ;*  from  whence  I  fear  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
stir  till  towards  September;  so  that  I  shall  not 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  till  then,  unless 
it  be  in  Fairfax.  Please  to  give  my  love  to  Mr. 
Lewis  and  my  sister ;  and  compliments  to  Mr. 
Jackson,  and  all  other  friends  that  inquire  after  me. 
"  I  am,  most  honored  Madam, 

"  Your  most  dutiful  son."f 

We  learn  from  other  sources  of  information, 
that  the  indisposition  of  which  the  writer  so 
briefly  speaks,  in  this  epistle,  was  sufficiently 
serious  to  endanger  his  life.  Nor  can  we  believe 
his  own  intimation  to  have  conveyed  the  first 
knowledge  of  this  distressing  intelligence  to  his 
mother.  She  had,  however,  the  consolation  to 
be,  at  the  same  time,  informed  of  all  that  she 

*  The  reader  will  remember  that  Col.  "W.  had  already  re 
sided  some  time  upon  his  patrimonial  estate  of  Mount  Vernon. 
f  Sparks'  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON. 


38  MEMOIR    OF 

could  hope  or  even  desire,  in  relation  to  his  per 
sonal  prowess  and  military  skill.* 

The  remaining  letter  was  written  in  anticipa 
tion  of  an  event  which  occurred  soon  after  the 
Battle  of  the  Monongahela — the  appointment  of 
Colonel  Washington  to  the  chief  command  of  the 
Virginia  forces.  His  commission  bears  the  same 
date  as  that  of  the  letter,  though  the  author,  as 
will  be  seen,  was,  as  yet,  uninformed  of  his  pro 
motion. 

"  To  MRS.  MARY  WASHINGTON. 

"Mount  Vernon,  14  August,  1^55. 

"  Honored  Madam : 

"  If  it  is  in  my  power  to  avoid  going  to  the 
Ohio  again  I  shall,  but  if  the  command  is  pressed 
upon  me,  by  the  general  voice  of  the  country,  and 
offered  upon  such  terms  as  cannot  be  objected 
against,  it  would  reflect  dishonor  upon  me  to  re 
fuse  it.  And  that,  I  am  sure,  ought  to  give  you 
greater  uneasiness  than  my  going  in  an  honor- 

*  It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  this  was  the  celebrated  en 
gagement  in  which  Col.  Washington  gained  so  much  honor,  and 
the  disastrous  result  of  which  was  nearly  averted  by  his  daring 
courage,  as  it  also  might  have  been  by  his  ready  discernment 
and  sagacious  tactics,  had  Gen.  Braddock  been  guided  by  hia 
advice  in  the  incipient  stages  of  the  conflict 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  39 

able  command.  Upon  no  other  terms  will  I 
accept  of  it.  At  present,  I  have  no  proposals 
made  to  me,  nor  have  I  any  advice  of  such  an 
intention,  except  from  private  hands. 

"  I  am,  &c."* 

Our  readers  will  not  fail  to  remark  the  almost 
deprecatory  tone  that  characterizes  this  epistle ; 
nor  the  deference  it  indicates  to  the  wishes  and 
opinions  of  the  parent  to  whom  it  was  addressed. 
It  was,  apparently,  written  in  reply  to  a  previous 
communication  from  his  mother  in  relation  to  the 
same  subject. 

We  gather  from  incidental  events  that  many 
practical  objections  to  the  acceptance  of  the  post 
of  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Virginian  Frontiei 
Army,  existed  at  this  juncture ;  and  we  may  infer 
that  the  sagacious  and  far-seeing  maternal  eye  dis 
cerned  these  difficulties,  and  that  Mrs.  Washing 
ton  counselled  her  son  to  avoid  responsibilities, 
that  existing  and  uncontrollable  circumstances 
might  easily  render  not  "only  devoid  of  honor 
or  advantage,  but  personally  unfortunate  and 
injurious. 

Thus  did  this  gifted  woman,  by  claims  the  most 
irresistible,  mature  and  perpetuate  an  influence 
*  Sparks'  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON. 


40  MEMOIR    OF 

and  authority,  that  remained  undiminished  and 
undisputed,  when  her  son  had  attained  the  pin 
nacle  of  earthly  fame. 

Before  dismissing  this  portion  of  our  narrative, 
we  cannot  refrain  from  expressing  our  deep  re 
gret  at  an  almost  entire  want  of  material  for  those 
minute  details,  which,  when  they  relate  to  inci 
dents  of  personal  history,  serve  so  much  better 
than  mere  description,  to  illustrate  character  and 
exhibit  the  peculiar  and  individualizing  traits 
which  alone  can  deepen  and  fill  up,  so  to  speak, 
the  faint  outline  presented  in  the  delineations  of 
the  general  historian. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  41 


CHAPTER  III. 


Ho  shall  not  dread  Misfortune's  angry  mien, 

Nor  feebly  sink  beneath  her  tempest  rude, 
Whose  soul  hath  learn'd,  through  many  a  trying  scene, 

To  smile  at  fate,  and  suffer  unsubdued.  METASTASIO. 


To  solemnize  this  day,  the  glorious  sun 
Stays  in  his  course,  and  plays  the  alchemist ; 
Turning,  with  splendor  of  his  precious  eye, 
The  meagre,  cloddy  earth  to  glittering  gold: 
The  yearly  course,  that  brings  this  day  about, 
Shall  never  see  it  but  a  holy  day !  SHAKSPEARE. 

THE  events  of  the  disordered  times  immedi 
ately  preceding  the  Revolution,  were  now  rapidly 
developing.  Following  each  other  in  startling 
and  fateful  succession,  and  finally  resulting  in  the 
ever-memorable  Declaration  of  Independence, 
Mrs.  Washington  suddenly  beheld  her  son  eleva 
ted  to  a  position  surrounded  by  dangers  the  most 
imminent,  afnd  comprehending  responsibilities  the 
most  solemn  and  portentous  that  can  devolve 
upon  human  agency. 

Resting  her  fears,  her  aspirations,  and  her  faith, 
upon  that  Support  which  could  alone  sustain  the 


42  MEMOIR    U* 

spirit  of  so  affectionate  and  so  discerning  a  parent, 
amid  trials  thus  peculiar  and  severe,  we  see  this 
heroic  woman  resigning  herself  with  the  same 
tranquil  submission,  and  the  same  unaffected 
cheerfulness,  by  which  her  life  had  hitherto  been 
distinguished,  to  the  decrees  of  an  overruling  and 
nscrutable  Destiny. 

Before  his  departure  from  his  native  State,  to 
assume  the  command  of  the  patriots  assembled 
at  Cambridge,  the  American  Commander-in  Chief, 
ever  mindful  of  his  Mother's  comfort  and  happi 
ness,  even  when  most  burdened  by  public  cares 
and  obligations,  assisted  in  effecting  her  removal 
from  her  country  residence  in  its  vicinity,  to 
Fredericksburg. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  remunerated  for  thus  re 
nouncing  a  home  hallowed  by  many  tender  and 
time-honored  associations,  the  peaceful  asylum 
of  her  youthful  family  in  the  days  of  her  early 
bereavement,  the  scene  of  their  innocent  sports, 
their  juvenile  education,  and  of  her  own  strenu 
ous  exertions  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  during 
so  many  years  of  her  life,  by  being  placed  in 
much  nearer  proximity  to  her  friends  and  relatives, 
and  in  a  position  more  secure  from  danger  than 
any  precaution  could  have  rendered  an  isolated, 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  43 

rural  abode.  And  as  she  preferred  to  maintain 
an  individual  establishment,  even  after  her  home 
ceased  to  be  the  permanent  residence  of  any  of 
her  children,  this  arrangement  was  peculiarly 
suitable  and  desirable. 

Bestowing  on  him  the  more  than  aegis-shield 
of  her  blessing  and  her  prayers,  the  patriotic 
mother  bade  adieu  to  her  Son,  for  a  period,  the 
duration  and  events  of  which  no  mortal  vision 
could  even  faintly  discern. 

Long  familiar  with  the  most  effectual  means 
of  escape  from  the  dominion  of  too-anxious 
thought,  she  hastened,  after  this  painful  parting, 
to  busy  herself  with  the  arrangement  and  care 
of  her  new  home,  and  sought  in  active  usefulness 
and  industry,  not  only  the  solace  of  her  own 
"  private  griefs"  and  apprehensions,  but  the  high 
pleasure  that  springs  from  the  consciousness  of 
doing  good. 

Ever  possessed  of  far  too  much  genuine  self- 
respect  and  enlightenment  to  regard  the  necessity 
of  homely  toil  as  degrading  or  unfortunate,  her 
practical  ingenuity  and  personal  efforts  now  sup 
plied,  in  a  good  degree,  the  many  deficiencies  and 
deprivations  arising  from  the  pressing  exigencies 
of  the  times,  and  materially  assisted,  not  only  in 


44  MEMOIR    OP 

providing  for  the  wants  of  her  own  household, 
but  in  furnishing  the  means  of  that  liberal  charity 
which  she  had  always  exercised,  however  limited 
her  resources,  and  which  was  not  remitted  when 
increasing  occasion  had  arisen  for  its  continu 
ance. 

"  "Whoso  in  pomp  of  proud  estate,  quoth  she, 
Does  swim,  and  bathes  himself  in  courtly  bliss, 
Does  waste  his  daies  in  dark  obscuritie, 
And  in  oblivion  buried  is. 
"Where  ease  abounds  'yts  eath  to  doe  amis, 
But  who  his  limbs  with  labor,  and  his  mynd 
Behaves  with  cares,  cannot  so  easy  mis." 

Though  long  past  the  meridian  of  life,  her 
equanimity,  her  healthful  habits,  and  the  sys 
tematic  uniformity  of  her  daily  existence,  still 
gave  this  exemplary  matron  the  physical  power 
essential  for  carrying  into  effect  her  plans  of  self- 
dependence  and  benevolent  usefulness. 

It  was,  at  this  time,  her  almost  daily  custom, 
seated  in  an  old-fashioned,  open  chaise,  to  visit 
her  little  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town,  and 
while  there,  to  drive  about  the  fields  giving  direc 
tions  and  personally  superintending  their  execu 
tion. 

Mrs.  Washington  is  said  to  have  required  from 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  45 

those  about  her  a  prompt  and  literal  obedience, 
somewhat  resembling  that  demanded  by  proper 
military  subordination  ;  a  habit  doubtless  arising, 
in  some  degree,  from  a  consciousness  of  the  men 
tal  power  that  enabled  her  rightly  to  judge,  and 
wisely  to  direct. 

On  one  occasion,  as  we  are  told,  she  reproved 
an  agent,  who,  relying  upon  his  own  judgment, 
had  disobeyed  her  orders,  saying,  "  I  command 
you, — there  is  nothing  left  for  you  but  to  obey !" 

Thus,  while  occupied  in  her  favorite  pursuits, 
and  preserved  from  all  sense  of  loneliness,  by  the 
frequent  and  interesting.visits  of  her  children  and 
grand-children,  who  were  invariably  most  assidu 
ous  and  affectionate  in  their  endeavors  to  con 
tribute  to  her  happiness,  several  years  rolled  away. 

Nor,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  did  Mrs.  Wash 
ington,  in  the  meanwhile,  look  with  an  unobser 
vant  or  unsympathizing  eye,  upon  the  changing 
and  momentous  aspect  of  public  affairs.  Her 
icsidence  in  Fredericksburg  enabled  her  early  to 
obtain  the  most  important  intelligence  of  the  day, 
and  we  may  believe  the  respectful  attention  of 
her  Son,  speedily  and  constantly  supplied  her  with 
information  denied  to  those  possessing  less  claim 
upon  his  confidence  and  regard. 


46  MEMOIR    OF 

If  not  always  as  sanguine  of  the  ultimate  tri 
umph  of  the  American  arms,  as  more  youthful 
and  ardent  spectators  of  the  Revolutionary  con 
test,  she  watched  the  progress  of  national  affairs, 
with  patient  and  tranquil  expectation.  Frequently 
raising  her  thoughtful  gaze  from  the  painful  con 
templation  of  her  country's  struggles,  towards  the 
Omnipotent  Friend  who  aids  the  sacred  cause  of 
Liberty  and  Right,  she  gained  a  firm  and  hopeful 
constancy  that  shielded  her  noble  spirit,  alike 
from  unfounded  enthusiasm,  and  desponding  dis 
trust  ;  and  that  rendered  her  an  example,  worthy 
of  all  honor,  to  those  mothers,  who,  like  herself, 
had  resigned  their  sons  to  their  country,  in  the 
hour  of  her  greatest  need. 

When  the  glorious  and  heart-warming  intelli 
gence  of  the  successful  passage  of  the  Delaware,* 
by  Washington  and  his  brave  companions  in 
arms,  was  communicated  to  his  Mother,  by  the 
numerous  friends  who  hastened  to  rejoice  with, 
and  to  felicitate  her  upon  so  auspicious  and  im 
portant  an  occurrence,  she  received  the  tidings 
with  placid  self-possession,  and  expressed  her 
pleasure  at  the  brightening  prospects  of  her  native 
land. 

*  Dec.  1776. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  47 

But  in  relation  to  such  portions  of  the  de 
spatches  of  her  visitors  as  contained  eulogistic 
allusions  to  her  Son,  she  simply  remarked,  that 
"  George  appeared  to  have  deserved  well  of  his 
country  for  such  signal  services,"  and  added  : — • 

"  But,  my  good  Sirs,  here  is  too  much  flattery ! 
— still,  George  will  not  forget  the  lessons  I  have 
taught  him — he  will  not  forget  himself,  though  he 
is  the  subject  of  so  much  praise." 

And  when,  after  the  lapse  of  long,  dark  years 
of  national  gloom  and  suffering,  Mrs.  Washing 
ton  was,  at  last,  informed*  of  the  crowning  event 
of  the  great  conflict — the  surrender  of  Lord 
Cornwallis,  she  raised  her  hands  with  profound 
reverence  and  gratitude  towards  Heaven,  and 
fervently  exclaimed,  "  Thank  God  ! — war  will 
now  be  ended,  and  peace,  independence  and  hap 
piness  bless  our  country !" 

An  interval  of  nearly  seven  perilous  and  ad 
venturous  years  had  passed,  when  this  illustrious 
American  matron  enjoyed  the  happiness  again 
to  behold  her  victor-crowned  and  illustrious  Son. 

Upon  the  return  of  the  combined  armies  from 
Yorktown,  the  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  repaired  im- 

*  To  whose  thoughtful  care  Mrs.  "W.  owed  the  Express  de 
spatched  to  her  with  tins  grateful  news,  may  easily  be  surmised 


48  MEMOIR    OF 

mediately  to  Fredericksburg,  attended  by  a  nu 
merous  and  splendid  suite,  composed  of  the  most 
distinguished    European    and   American   officers 
who    had   shared    his    protracted    toils    and   his 
final  triumph. 

No  sooner  had  Washington  dismounted  than 
he  sent  a  messenger  to  apprize  his  Mother  of  his 
arrival,  with  a  request  to  be  informed  when  it 
would  be  her  pleasure  to  receive  him. 

Then,  dismissing  for  a  time  the  attributes  and 
attendants  of  greatness,  he  repaired,  unaccompa 
nied  and  on  foot,  to  the  modest  mansion  where 
his  venerable  parent  awaited  his  coming. 

Mrs.  Washington  wras  alone  and  occupied  in 
some  ordinary  domestic  avocation,  when  the 
gladdening  intelligence  of  her  Son's  approaching 
visit  was  communicated  to  her. 

She  met  him  on  the  threshold  with  a  cordial 
embrace,  her  face  beaming  with  unmingled  pleas 
ure,  and  welcomed  him  by  the  endearing  and 
well-remembered  appellation  associated  with  the 
pleasing  memories  of  early  years. 

The  quick  eye  of  maternal  tenderness  readily 
discerned  the  furrowed  traces  of  the  ceaseless 
and  wearing  responsibilities  that  had  for  years 
been  the  burden  of  his  thoughts,  and  in  the  unfor- 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  49 

gotten  tones  and  with  the  simple  affectionateness 
of  other  days,  Mrs.  Washington  immediately  and 
earnestly  adverted  to  the  subject  of  her  son's 
health. 

At  length,  turning  the  conversation  to  scenes 
and  themes  hallowed  to  each  by  the  most  cher 
ished  remembrances,  these  deeply-attached  and 
happily  reunited  relatives  talked  long  of  mutual 
friends  and  former  times.  But  to  the  peerless 
fame  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Armies 
of  America,  there  was  not  the  most  remote  allu 
sion  ! 

Yet,  as  the  immortal  SAVIOR  OF  HIS  COUNTRY 
gazed  upon  the  beloved  and  expressive  counte 
nance  turned  approvingly  and  affectionately  upon 
him,  his  happiness  was  unalloyed  and  exalted  as 
earth  can  bestow, 


SO  MEMOIB  or 


CHAPTER  IV. 


There  fell  a  moment's  thrilling  silence  round,— 
A  breathless  pause !— the  hush  of  hearts  that  berf 
And  limbs  that  quiver  : 


And  blessed  was  her  presence  there- 
Each  heart,  expanding,  grew  more  gay ; 

Yet  something  loftier  still  than  fear, 
Kept  men's  familiar  looks  away  I  SCHILLER. 


Why  then  should  witless  man  so  much  misweene 
That  nothing  is  but  that  which  he  hath  seen. 

THE  unexpected  arrival  of  WASHINGTON  and 
his  Suite,  created  the  most  enthusiastic  delight 
among  the  citizens  of  Fredericksburg. 

Not  only  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  but  num 
bers  of  gentlemen  from  its  vicinity,  hastened  to 
welcome  the  deliverers  of  their  country  with 
every  demonstration  of  respect  and  hospitality  : 
happiness  irradiated  every  face,  and  all  were  soon 
engrossed  by  the  eager  preparations  for  festive 
pleasure. 

It  was  determined  to  celebrate  the  joyful  occa 
sion  by  a  splendid  Ball. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  51 

MRS.  WASHINGTON  received  a  special  invita 
tion.  She  answered,  that  "  although  her  dancing 
days  were  pretty  well  over,  she  should  feel  happy 
in  contributing  to  the  general  festivity." 

The  company  assembled  at  a  much  earlier 
hour  than  modern  fashion  would  sanction.  Gay 
belles  and  dignified  matrons  graced  the  occasion 
arrayed  in  rich  laces  and  bright  brocades, — the 
well-preserved  relics  of  scenes  when  neither  na 
tional  misfortune  nor  private  calamity  forbade 
their  use. 

Numerous  foreign  officers  were  present,  in  the 
brilliant  uniforms  of  their  respective  corps,  glit 
tering  with  the  dazzling  insignia  of  royal  favor 
and  successful  courage. 

Thither  came  veteran  heroes,  the  blessed  and 
honored  of  after  times,  whose  war-scathed  vis 
ages  bespoke  the  unflinching  bravery  and  perse 
vering  devotion  with  which  they  had  served  their 
country,  through  long  years  of  hardship  and 
danger. 

There,  too,  now  swayed  only  by  the  light  breath 
of  pleasure,  waved  in  billowy  folds,  the  dear- won 
banners  of  the  "  tented  field."  Music  poured  its 
spirit-stirring  strains  upon  the  soldier's  ear,  not 
to  summon  him  to  deeds  of  arms,  but,  by  its  gen- 


52  MEMOIR    OF 

tier  influences,  to  inspire  the  chivalrous  gallantry 
that  well  became  the  hour, — the  gleesome  jest,  the 
merry  laugh, 

"  Nods,  and  becks,  and  wreathed  smiles  1" 

But  despite  the  soul-soothing  charm  of  music 
the  fascinations  of  female  loveliness,  and  the  flat 
tering  devotion  of  the  gallant  brave,  all  was  eager 
suspense  and  expectation,  until  there  entered,  un 
announced  and  unattended,  the  MOTHER  OF 
WASHINGTON,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  SON. 

Hushed  was  each  noisy  tone,  subdued  each 
whispered  word,  as  with  quiet  dignity  and  unaf 
fected  grace  they  slowly  advanced. 

Nature  had  stamped  upon  the  brow  of  both,  the 
unmistakable  signet  of  nobility,  and 

"  The  vision  and  the  faculty  divine" 

spoke  in  the  imposing  countenance  of  each,  and 
directed  every  movement  of  the  majestic  pair. 

All  hastened  to  approach  this  august  presence ; 
the  European  officers  to  be  presented  to  the 
parent  of  their  beloved  Commander,  and  old 
friends,  neighbors,  and  acquaintances,  to  tender 
the  compliments  and  congratulations  appropriate 
to  the  occasion. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  53 

Mrs.  Washington  received  these  peculiar  dem 
onstrations  of  respect  and  friendship,  with  perfect 
self-possession  and  unassuming  courtesy.  She 
wore  the  simple,  but  becoming  and  appropriate 
costume  of  the  Virginia  ladies  of  the  olden  time, 
and  even 

"  Tlie  cynosure  of  beauty's  sheen" 

was  for  a  time  forgotten,  while  all  eyes  and  all 
hearts  were  irresistibly  attracted  by  the  winning 
address  and  unpretending  appearance  of  the  ven 
erable  lady. 

The  European  strangers  gazed  long  in  wonder 
ing  amazement,  upon  this  sublime  and  touching 
spectacle.  Accustomed  to  the  meretricious  dis 
play  of  European  courts,  they  regarded  with 
astonishment  her  unadorned  attire,  and  the  min 
gled  simplicity  and  majesty  for  which  the  language 
and  manners  of  the  MOTHER  OF  WASHINGTON 
were  so  remarkable. 

They  spoke  of  women  renowned  in  classic 
lore : — the  names  of  the  celebrated  Voluminia,  and 
of  the  noble  mother  of  the  Gracchi,  broke  invol 
untarily  from  their  lips ;  and  they  spontaneously 
rendered  the  tribute  of  admiration  and  reverence 
at  the  shrine  of  native  Dignity  and  real  Worth. 


64  MEMOIR    OP 

Having,  for  some  time,  regarded  with  serene 
benignity,  the  brilliant  and  festive  scene,  which 
she  had  so  amiably  consented  to  honor  by  her 
presence,  Mrs.  Washington  expressed  the  cordial 
hope  that  the  happiness  of  all  might  continue  un- 
diminished  until  the  hour  of  general  separation 
should  arrive,  and  quietly  adding,  that  "  it  was 
time  for  old  people  to  be  at  home,"  retired  as  she 
had  entered,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief. 

Perhaps  it  will  interest  some  of  our  lady-readers 
to  know  that  the  immortal  WASHINGTON  danced 
on  this  occasion  for  the  last  time ; — in  the  stately 
minuet,  so  well  adapted  to  the  advantageous  dis 
play  of  his  graceful  air,  and  elegant  and  imposing 
form.  He  is  also  described  as  having  been  in 
spired  with  great  cheerfulness  and  animation, 
while  momentarily  courting  the  aerial  graces. 
The  French  gentlemen  who  participated  in  the 
pleasures  of  the  evening,  protested  that  Paris 
itself  could  boast  nothing  more  perfect  than  the 
dancing  of  the  fair  and 'the  gallant  Americans  as 
sembled  at  this  celebrated  Ball. 


MARY   WASHINGTON.  55 


CHAPTER  V. 


Her  house 

Was  ordered  well ;  her  children  taught  the  way 
Of  life — who,  rising  up  in  honor,  called 
Her  blest. 

****** 

In  virtue  fair, 

Adorned  with  modesty,  and  matron  grace 
Unspeakable,  and  love — her  face  was  like 
The  light,  most  welcome  to  the  eye  of  man.  POLLOK. 


Who  sat  'mongst  men  like  a  descended  god, 

***** 

Who  liv'd  in  court,  which  it  is  rare  to  do, 

Most  praised,  most  loved: 

A  sample  to  the  youngest;  to  the  most  mature 

A  glass  that  feated  them.  SHAKSPEAR*. 

RE-ESTABLISHED  at  Mount  Vernon,  it  was  the 
earnest  desire  of  WASHINGTON  that  his  MOTHER 
should  thenceforth  reside  under  his  roof. 

He  had  frequently  before,  urged  the  same  re 
quest,  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Lewis,*  who  was 
always  most  assiduous  in  fulfilling  the  duties  im- 

*  Mrs.  Fletcher  Lewis,  of  Fredericksburg,  the  only  sister  of 
"Washington,  -whom  she  so  closely  resembled,  that  when  she  was 
arrayed  in  his  usual  head-dress,  her  features  were  undistinguish- 
able  from  his. 


56  MEMOIR    OP 

posed  by  nature  and  affection,  had  repeatedly 
endeavored  to  persuade  her  aged  parent  to  live 
apart  from  her  no  longer. 

But  the  venerable  matron,  notwithstanding  the 
affectionate  entreaties  of  her  children,  continued 
to  conduct  a  separate  establishment,  with  the 
same  indefatigable  industry  and  judicious  man 
agement  which  she  had  earlier  exhibited.  She 
still  obeyed— 

"  The  breezy  call  of  incense-breathing  morn" 

with  as  much  alacrity  as  of  yore,  and  still  gave 
her  attention  to  the  most  minute  details  of  do 
mestic  affairs. 

In  this  tranquil  retreat,  where 

"  None  knew  her  but  to  love, 
None  named  her  but  to  praise," 

she  long  continued  to  receive  the  frequent  and 
fondly-respected  visits  of  her  many  old  and  at 
tached  friends  as  well  as  of  her  children*  and  her 

*  We  find  many  proofs  in  the  published  Correspondence  of 
WASHINGTON,  of  the  affectionate  devotion  with  which  he  paid  this 
tribute  of  respect  to  his  mother.  Thus,  he  assigns  his  absence  on 
a  visit  to  her,  as  a  reason  for  not  previously  replying  to  a  letter 
from  the  Secretary  of  Congress;  and  afterwards  again,  in  a  letter 
to  Major-General  KNOX,  he  offers  the  same  explanation  of  <* 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  57 

children's  children,  blessed  in  her  happy  and 
honored  age,  by  the  soothing  consciousness  of  a 
virtuous  and  well-spent  life. 

To  the  urgent  and  oft-repeated  requests  of  her 
children,  that  she  would  make  with  them  the 
home  of  her  age,  Mrs.  Washington  replied: — 

"I  thank  you  for  your  dutiful  and  affection 
ate  offers,  but  my  wants  are  few  in  this  life,  and 
I  feel  perfectly  competent  to  take  care  of  myself/' 

And  when  her  son-in-law,  Colonel  Lewis,  pro 
posed  to  assume  the  general  superintendence  of 
her  affairs,  she  resolutely  answered — • 

"  Do  you,  Fielding,  keep  my  books  in  order, 
for  your  eyesight  is  better  than  mine,  but  leave 
the  executive  management  to  me." 

Previous  to  his  departure  for  France,  after  the 
termination  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  Mar 
quis  de  La  Fayette  visited  Fredericksburg,  ex 
pressly  for  the  purpose  of  making  his  personal 
adieus  to  the  mother  of  his  beloved  hero-friend, 
and  that  he  might  solemnly  invoke  her  blessing. 

similar  delay.  When  his  mother  was  ill,  we  perceive  that  he 
pleads  this  honorable  errand,  without  reserve,  as  presenting 
claims  superior  to  any  public  obligation.  In  an  epistle  written 
towards  the  close  of  the  year  1788,  we  find  allusions  to  a  pro 
longed  sojourn  under  the  maternal  roof,  <tc.,  <fce. 


58  MEMOIR    OP 

This  amiable  visitor,  who  had  frequently  be 
fore  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  conversing  with 
her,  repaired  to  the  unobtrusive  abode  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  accompanied  by  one  of  her  grand 
sons. 

As  they  approached  the  house,  they  observed 
an  aged  lady  working  in  the  adjoining  garden. 
The  materials  composing  her  dress  were  of  home- 
manufacture,  and  she  wore  over  her  time-silvered 
hair,  a  plain  straw  bonnet. 

"  There,  Sir,"  said  the  younger  gentleman,  "  is 
my  grandmother." 

Mrs.  Washington  received  her  distinguished 
guest,  with  great  cordiality,  and  with  her  usual 
frank  simplicity  of  address. 

"Ah,  Marquis!"  she  exclaimed,  "you  see  an 
old  woman ; — but  come,  I  can  make  you  welcome 
to  my  poor  dwelling,  without  the  parade  of  chang 
ing  my  dress." 

The  conversation  of  this  interesting  group  soon 
turned,  as  was  most  natural,  upon  the  brightening 
prospects  of  the  young  Republic. 

The  Marquis  spoke  of  the  deep  interest  he 
cherished  in  all  that  related  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  land  of  his  adoption,  and  poured  forth  the 
fond  and  glowing  encomiums  of  a  full  heart  at 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  59 

each  allusion  to  his  former  Chief, — his  friend,  his 
Mentor,  his  "  hero." 

To  the  praises  thus  enthusiastically  lavished 
upon  her  son,  by  the  noble  Frenchman,  his  hos 
tess  only  replied,  "  /  am  not  surprised  at  what 
George  has  done,  for  he  was  always  a  good 
boy." 

Thus  did  the  true  greatness  of  this  extraordi 
nary  woman  often  manifest  itself.  It  was  her 
pleasure  frequently  to  revert  to  the  early  days  of 
her  august  Son,  and  to  express  her  approbation 
of  his  dutiful  and  upright  conduct ;  but  she  never 
appeared  in  the  slightest  degree  elated  by  the 
honors  that  were  showered  "thick  and  fast"  upon 
his  glorious  name. 

With  unaffected  piety,  she  referred  each  and 
every  occurrence  of  life  to  the  Great  First  Cause, 
and  when  the  notes  of  jubilant  praise  swelled 
high,  even  above  the  din  of  battle  and  the  wail- 
ings  of  a  nation's  despair,  it  was  her  earnest  ma 
ternal  aspiration  that  the  "  good  boy"  of  her  early 
care,  might  never  "forget  himself!" 

" For  by  the  dread  decree  of  Heaven, 

Short  is  the  date  to  earthly  grandeur  given, 
And  vain  are  all  attempts  to  roam  beyond 
"Where  fate  has  fixed  the  everlasting  bound" 


60  MEMOIR    OF 

Mrs.  Washington  was  always  remarkable  for 
that  unequivocal  proof  of  superiority,  the  power 
ful  influence  she  exerted  over  the  minds  of 
others. 

Her  ideas  of  the  respect  due  to  her  as  a  parent, 
remained  unchanged  either  by  the  lapse  of  time, 
or  by  the  development  of  mighty  events,  with 
which  her  wonderful  Son  was  so  closely  identi 
fied.  Ever  his  trusted  counsellor  and  friend,  to 
her  he  was  always  the  same  in  relative  position.* 
To  her  he  owed  his  existence ;  to  her  the  early 
discipline  of  his  extraordinary  intellect,  and  of  his 
high  moral  nature  ;  and  to  her  he  was  indebted 
for  the  sage  advice  and  prudent  guidance  of  ma- 
turer  years. 

Nor  did  her  son  manifest  the  slightest  dissent 

*  This  peculiarity  forcibly  reminds  us  of  an  expressive  inci 
dent  in  the  life  of  the  mother  of  the  Buonapartes — Madame  Mere. 
On  one  occasion,  when  the  Emperor  Napoleon  gave  audience  to 
the  several  members  of  his  family,  while  walking  in  one  of  the 
galleries  of  the  Tuilleries,  among  his  other  relatives,  his  mother 
advanced  towards  him.  The  Emperor  extended  his  hand  to 
Ler  to  kiss,  as  he  had  done  when  his  brothers  and  sisters  ap 
proached  him,  "  No  !"  said  she,  "  you  are  tho  King,  the  Emperor 
of  all  the  rest,  but  you  are  my  son  /"  We  leave  c  ui  readers  to 
draw  the  contrast  irresistibly  suggested  by  thij  anecdote,  be 
tween  the  Republican  Statesman  and  the  Emperor  of  all  the 
French, 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  61 

from  this  sentiment.  We  are  informed  by  one* 
well  entitled  to  be  regarded  as  unquestionable 
authority,  that  "  to  the  last  moments  of  his  ven 
erable  parent  he  yielded  to  her  will  the  most  im 
plicit  obedience,  and  felt  for  her  person  and  char 
acter  the  highest  respect  and  the  most  enthusiastic 
attachment." 

Perhaps  the  life  of  this  celebrated  lady  afforded 
no  more  convincing  proof  of  the  genuine  noble 
ness  of  her  character,  than  was  evinced  by  the 
constancy  with  which  she  maintained  the  pecu 
liar  sentiments  and  principles  of  her  youth.  We 
may  believe  that  a  mind  less  perfectly  balanced, 
would  have  rendered,  at  least,  an  unconscious 
homage  to  the  power  of  circumstances  so  novel 
and  so  imposing  as  those  in  which  she  was  placed. 

It  was  Mrs.  Washington's  habit,  during  the  lat 
ter  years  of  her  life,  to  repair  daily  to  a  secluded 
spot  near  her  dwelling,  formed  by  overhanging 
rocks  and  trees.  There,  isolated  from  worldly 
thoughts  and  objects,  she  sought  in  devout  prayer 
and  meditation,  most  appropriate  preparation  for 

*  G.  W.  P.  Custis,  Esq.,  the  grandson  of  Mrs.  Martha  Wash 
ington,  to  whose  interesting  "  Recollections"  we  are  indebted  for 
most  of  the  particulars  relative  to  the  life  of  Mrs.  W.,  now  in  tho 
possession  of  the  literary  public. 


02  MEMOIR    OF 

the  great  change  which  she  was  admonished  by 
her  advanced  age,  might  nearly  await  her. 

But  one  of  the  many  weaknesses  that  usually 
characterize  humanity,  was  manifested  by  this 
heroic  woman.  Upon  the  approach  of  a  thun 
der-storm  she  invariably  retired  to  her  own  apart 
ment,  and  remained  there  until  calmness  was 
restored  to  the  elements.  This  almost  constitu 
tional  timidity,  was  occasioned  by  a  singularly 
distressing  incident  of  her  youth — the  instant 
death,  from  the  effects  of  lightning,  of  a  young 
friend,  who  was,  at  the  moment  when  the  acci 
dent  occurred,  sitting  close  beside  her. 

The  appearance  of  Mrs.  Washington  is  said  to 
have  been  pleasing.  Her  countenance  was  agree 
able  and  highly  expressive,  and  her  person  well- 
proportioned  and  of  average  height. 


MABY    WASHINGTON.  63 


CHAPTER  VI. 


She  goes  unto  the  Rock  sublime 
Where  halts  above  the  Eternal  Sea,  the  shuddering 

Child  of  time !  SCHILLER. 


BEFORE  WASHINGTON'S  departure  for  the  seat 
oi  government,  to  assume  the  duties  of  President 
of  the  United  States,  he  went  to  Fredericksburg 
to  pay  his  parting  respects  to  his  aged  mother. 

Mrs.  Washington's  health  had  now  become  so 
infirm  as  to  impress  her  with  the  conviction  that 
she  beheld  for  the  last  time  the  crowning  blessing 
of  her  declining  age. 

Forgetting  all  else  in  the  same  mournful  belief, 
the  calm  self-possession  that  no  calamity  had  for 
years  been  able  to  shake,  yielded  to  the  claims  of 
nature,  and,  overpowered  by  painful  emotion,  the 
mighty  chieftain  wept  long,  with  bowed  head,  over 
the  wasted  form  of  his  revered  and  much-loved 
parent. 

Sustained,  even  in  this  trying  hour,  by  her  na 
tive  strength  of  mind,  the  heroic  Mother  fervently 


64  MEMOIR    OP 

invoked  the  blessing  of  Heaven  upon  her  sorrow 
ing  Son,  and  solemnly  bestowing  her  own,  bade 
him  pursue  the  path  .in  which  public  duty  sum 
moned  him  to  depart. 

Mrs.  Washington  retained  unimpaired  posses 
sion  of  her  mental  faculties  to  her  latest  moments, 
but  during  the  last  three  years  of  her  life,  hei 
physical  powers  were  much  diminished  by  the 
effects  of  the  distressing  malady  with  which  she 
was  long  afflicted. 

This  painful  disease*  terminated  her  earthly 
existence  in  her  eighty-third  year.  Her  death 
occurred  on  the  25th  of  August,  1789.  She  had 
been  forty-six  years  a  widow. 

The  last  hours  of  this  incomparable  woman 
were  accompanied  by  a  tranquillity  and  resigna 
tion  most  -unlike  the  usual  death-bed  attendants 
of  the  world's  scathed  devotees. 

An  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  WASHING 
TON  to  his  sister,  soon  after  the  .decease  of  their 
Mother,  will  best  illustrate  the  methodical  calm 
ness  with  which  she  made  a  final  adjustment  of 
her  temporal  affairs.  Our  readers  will  also,  thus 
become  possessed  of  the  minutest  information  in 
relation  to  the  concluding  scenes  of  Mrs.  Wash- 
*  Cancer  in  the  breast 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  65 

ington's  life,  that  persevering  research  has  ena 
bled  us  to  discover. 

"  To  MRS.  BETTY  LEWIS. 

"  New  York,  13th  September,  1189. 
'  My  Dear  Sister : — 

****** 
"  Awful  and  affecting  as  the  death  of  a  parent 
is,  there  is  consolation  in  knowing  that  Heaven 
has  spared  ours  to  an  age  beyond  which  few  at 
tain,  and  favored  her  with  the  full  enjoyment  of 
her  faculties  and  as  much  bodily  strength  as  usu 
ally  falls  to  the  lot  of  fourscore.  Under  these 
considerations,  and  a  hope  that  she  is  translated 
to  a  happier  place,  it  is  the  duty  of  her  relatives 
to  yield  due  submission  to  the  decrees  of  the  Cre 
ator.  When  I  was  last  at  Fredericksburg,  I  took 
a  final  leave  of  my  mother,  never  expecting  to 
see  her  more. 

"  It  will  be  impossible  for  me  at  this  distance, 
and  circumstanced  as  I  am,  to  give  the  smallest 
attention  to  the  execution  of  her  will ;  nor,  in 
deed  is  much  required,  if,  as  she  directs,  no  secu 
rity  should  be  given,  nor  appraisement  made  of 
her  estate  ;  but  that  the  same  should  be  allotted 
to  the  devisees  with  as  little  trouble  and  delay  as 
may  be.  How  far  this  is  legal  I  know  not.  Mr. 


66  MEMOIR    OF 

Merced  can,  and  I  have  no  doubt  would,  advise 
you  if  asked,  which  I  wish  you  to  do.  If  the  cer 
emony  of  inventorying,  appraising,  &c.,  can  be 
dispensed  with,  all  the  rest,  as  the  will  declares 
that  few  or  no  debts  are  owing,  can  be  done  with 
very  little  trouble.  Every  person  may,  in  that  case, 
immediately  receive  what  is  specially  devised. 

"  Were  it  not  that  the  specific  legacies,  which 
are  given  to  me  by  the  will,  are  meant  and  ought 
to  be  considered  and  received  as  mementoes  of 
paternal  affection  in  the  last  solemn  act  of  life,  I 
should  not  be  desirous  of  receiving  or  removing 
them ;  but  in  this  point  of  view,  I  set  a  value  on 
them  much  beyond  their  intrinsic  worth." 

We  are,  of  course,  indebted  to  Mr.  Sparks' 
LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON  for  the  communication 
from  which  this  extract  is  derived.  We  also  give 
Mrs.  Washington's  age,  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
as  stated  by  Mr.  S.,  though  it  is  sometimes  repre 
sented  to  have  been  still  more  advanced. 

We  cannot  better,  or  more  suitably,  close  this 
chapter  than  by  presenting  our  readers  with  the 
just,  discriminating,  and  graceful  eulogy  expressed 
in  the  following  eloquent  passage  from  the  pen 
of  the  same  accurate  and  accomplished  author : — 


MARY    WASHINGTON  67 

"  The  weighty  charge  of  five  young  children, 
the  eldest  of  whom  was  eleven  years  old,  the  su 
perintendence  of  their  education,  and  the  man 
agement  of  complicated  affairs,  demanded  no  com 
mon  share  of  resolution,  resource  of  mind,  and 
strength  of  character.  In  these  important  duties, 
Mrs.  Washington  acquitted  herself  with  great 
fidelity  to  her  trust,  and  with  entire  success.  Her 
good  sense,  assiduity,  tenderness,  and  vigilance 
overcame  every  obstacle ;  and  as  the  richest 
reward  of  a  mother's  solicitude  and  toil,  she  had 
the  happiness  to  see  all  her  children  come  forward 
with  a  fair  promise  into  life,  filling  the  sphere 
allotted  to  them  in  a  manner  equally  honorable  to 
themselves,  and  to  the  parent  who  had  been  the 
only  guide  of  their  principles,  conduct,  and  habits. 
She  lived  to  witness  the  noble  career  of  her  eldest 
son,  till  by  his  own  rare  merits,  he  was  raised  to  the 
head  of  a  nation,  and  applauded  and  revered  by 
the  whole  world.  It  has  been  said,  that  there 
never  was  a  great  man,  the  elements  of  whose 
greatness  might  not  be  traced  to  the  original 
characteristics  or  early  influence  of  his  mother. 
If  this  be  true,  how  much  do  mankind  owe  to  the 
mother  of  Washington." 


68  MEMOIR    OF 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Thou  high-born  spirit,  on  whose  countenance, 
Pure  and  beloved,  is  seen  reflected  all 
That  Heaven  and  Nature  can  on  earth  achieve  I— 
MICHEL  ANOSLO. 


"There  sounds  not  to  the  trump  of  Fame, 
The  echo  of  a  noble  name  !" 


As  well  might  we  assimilate  the  airy  graces  of 
a  modern  belle,  arrayed  in  the  ample  costume  of 
the  present  day,  with  the  undraped  proportions 
and  severe  beauty  of  an  antique  statue,  as  to  com 
pare  the  life  and  character  of  the  MOTHER  OF 
WASHINGTON  with  those  of  the  women  of  our 
own  times,  or  adjudge  her  attire,  character,  and 
manners  by  the  arbitrary  rules  of  fashionable 
conventionalism ! 

Hers  was  a  character  that  might  stand  forth  in 
its  natural  majesty,  unrelieved  by  the  "  aids  and 
appliances"  of  adventitious  circumstance;  and 
the  grateful  reverence  which  we  instinctively  ac 
cord  her,  can  only  be  inspired  by  transcendent 
worth. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  69 

Those  who  best  knew  her  inestimable  qualities, 
earnestly  strive  to  impress  us  with  the  conviction 
that  she  was  gifted  with  attributes  adapting  her  in 
a  most  extraordinary  degree  to  the  immortal  part 
assigned  her  in  the  drama  of  human  existence. 
Yet  the  stern  virtues  that  served  to  mould  a 
future  Hero,  were  attempered  by  womanly  ten 
derness  and  sympathy ;  and  we  associate  them  in 
our  remembrance  with  the  practical  kindness 
and  unostentatious  habits  that  equally  marked  her 
daily  life. 

The  philosophy  so  forcibly  illustrated  in  the 
history  of  Mary  Washington  is  not  that  of  Plato, 
of  Socrates,  or  of  Zeno,  but  that  of  CHRIST  ! 

Her  equanimity  was  not  the  result  of  consti 
tutional  insensibility,  nor  yet  of  a  debasing  stoi 
cism,  but  of  the  dominant  influence  of  immutable 
Religious  Principle,  forever  supreme,  alike  over 
the  weaknesses  of  nature  and  the  promptings  of 
worldly  ambition. 

The  life  and  character  of  this  illustrious  matron, 
in  some  points  of  general  resemblance,  reminded 
us  of  those  of  the  self-devoted  Scottish  Covenan 
ters  of  old :  like  them,  she  regarded  with  indiffer 
ence,  if  not  with  contempt,  the  inconvenient 
requisitions  of  ceremony  and  the  unscrupulous 


70  MEMOIR    OF 

exactions  of  corrupting  fashion ;  like  them  she 
sought  to  obtain  from  the  Bible  alone  her  invari 
able  rule  of  life ;  and  like  them,  she  worshipped' 
God  surrounded  by  the  majestic  companionship 
of  nature, 

"  Not  'neath  the  domes,  where  crumbling  arch  and  column 
Attest  the  feebleness  of  mortal  hand ; 
But  in  that  fane,  most  catholic  and  solemn, 
Which  God  has  plann'd  1" 

Her  Name  and  her  Fame  are  the  priceless  in 
heritance,  not  of  her  native  country  alone,  but  of 
every  land  that  boasts  a  knowledge  of  the  glorious 
achievements  of  the  immortal  Champion  of 
Liberty ! 

Her  name  will  be  revered,  and  her  memory 
cherished,  when  those  of  mighty  empires  and 
world-renowned  sovereigns  shall  have  sunk  for 
ever  into  the  whirlpool  of  Oblivion :  unsullied, 
unobscured  by  the  supremacy  of  power  and  the 
lapse  of  ages,  they  will  beam  forth  resplendent  in 
the  sanctified  lustre  of  MORAL  GRANDEUR. 

At  the  feet  of  the  proud  daughter  of  the  Ptole 
mies,  the  conquerors  of  the  world  laid  down  their 
crowns,  yet  Clio,  faithful  to  the  truth,  withholds 
the  meed  of  honor  from  the  coward  soul  that 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  71 

could  not  brave  adversity.  The  history  of 
Christina,  the  royal  Swedish  wanderer,  scarce 
serves,  at  best,  to  "  point  a  moral,"  and  awakens 
no  more  exalted  sentiment  than  one  of  pitying 
regret.  Maria  Theresa,  despite  her  many  and 
exalted  excellencies,  sacrificed  some  of  woman's 
first,  best  duties  on  the  altar  of  ambition.  And 
who  will  demand  either  love  or  veneration  for 
the  memory  of  England's  greatest  Queen,  re 
nowned  as  much  for  her  most  unfeminine  faults, 
as  for  her  boasted  masculine  virtues. 

Imagination  may  pall  in  the  contemplation  of 
mere  charms  of  person, — even  though  unrival 
led, — when  associated  with  the  moral  cowardice 
of  the  famous  Egyptian  Queen ;  we  may  regard 
profound  erudition  without  respect,  when  allied 
with  the  undisciplined  instincts  and  uncontrolled 
passions  of  the  celebrated  daughter  of  the  Great 
Gustavus ;  or  hear  with  indifference,  tributes  to 
the  religious  enthusiasm  and  regal  heroism  of  the 
Empress-King  ;*  or  turn  with  unsympathizing  dis 
like  from  the  haughty,  indomitable,  relentless 
Elizabeth ;  but  when  shall  the  daughters  of  Co- 

*  "  BEHOLD  OUR  KIXG  !"  was  the  enthusiastic  exclamation  of 
the  brave  Hungarian  nobles,  at  the  most  touching  and  sublime 
moment  of  the  life  of  this  great  sovereign. 


72  MEMOIR    OP 

lumbia  be  weary  of  imbibing  the  benign  and  hal 
lowed  influences  inseparably  associated  with  the 
pure  and  sacred  name  of  MARY  WASHINGTON  ? 

The  combined  qualities  of  her  consistent,  ele 
vated,  conscience-illuminated  character,  consti 
tute  a  perfect  whole,  that  most  beautifully  and 
strikingly  illustrates  alike  the  Woman  and  the 
Christian,  in  the  highest  and  most  comprehensive 
sense  of  those  expressive  words. 

Enshrined  in  the  Sanctuary  of  Home,  her  sub 
lime  example  is  the  peerless  boast  of  her  country; 
and  it  shall  but  brighten  as  it  recedes  with  re 
volving  years. 

Radiant  in  the  zenith  of  Columbia's  Heaven, 
beams  the  star  of  her  fame,  fixed  and  enduring  as 

" the  cerulean  arch  we  see, 

MAJESTIC  IN  ITS  OWN  SIMPLICITY  1" 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  73 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


"There  are  deeds  which  should  not  pass  away, 
And  names  that  must  not  wither,  though  the  earth 
Forgets  her  empires  with  a  just  decay, 
The  enslavers  and  the  enslaved,  their  death  and  birth.* 


Act !— for  in  action  are  wisdom  and  glory ; 

Fame,  immortality,  these  are  its  crown  ; 
Wouldst  thou  illumine  the  tablets  of  story, 

Build  on  achievements  thy  doom  of  renown. 
Honor  and  feeling  are  given  to  cherish  ; 

Cherish  them,  then,  though  all  else  should  decay; 
Landmarks  be  these  that  are  never  to  perish, 

Stars  that  will  shine  on  the  duskiest  day.     J.  G.  VON  SALTS. 

THE  remains  of  MRS.  WASHINGTON  were  in 
terred  at  Fredericksburg,  in  Virginia,  where  she 
so  long  resided,  and  where  she  remained  till  the 
time  of  her  death. 

For  many  years  after  her  decease  her  place  of 
sepulchre  was  undistinguished  by  any  mark  of 
public  respect ;  but  more  recently  a  tasteful  and 
splendid  monument  has  been  erected  to  the  mem 
ory  of  Mrs.  Washington,  under  the  direction  of  a 
Committee  representing  the  citizens  of  her  native 
State.* 

*  In  preparing  these  pages  for  the  press,  the  author,  having 


<*  MEMOIR    OF 

The  ceremony  of  laying  the  corner-stone  of 
this  highly  appropriate  mausoleum,  was  performed 
by  Andrew  Jackson,  who  was  at  the  time  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States,  and  who  was,  there 
fore,  very  properly  invited  by  the  Monumental 
Committee  to  assume  that  honorary  task. 

This  interesting  celebration  occurred  on  the 
seventh  of  May,  1833. 

General  Jackson  went  from  the  seat  of  govern 
ment  to  Predericksburg,  attended  by  the  several 
members  of  the  National  Cabinet  and  by  a  nu 
merous  concourse  of  highly  respectable  citizens 
and  strangers,  The  inhabitants  of  Fredericks- 
burg,  also  united  in  great  numbers,  with  this  im 
posing  assemblage ;  and  the  whole  scene  \vas 
characterized  by  the  most  cordial  and  respectful 
interest,  and  by  deep  pathos  and  solemnity. 

The  President  distinguished  the  occasion  by  an 

not  the  slightest  reason  to  suspect  their  accuracy,  assumed  as 
facts  the  statements  in  relation  to  this  public  monument  con 
tained  in  "  KNAPP'S  FEMALE  BIOGRAPHY."  Truth,  however,  com 
pels  her,  most  reluctantly,  to  admit  that,  after  the  MS.  was 
delivered  to  the  Publisher,  a  newspaper  article,  purporting  tc 
be  written  at  Fredericksburg,  met  her  eye,  in  which  it  waa 
asserted  that  the  tomb  of  Mrs.  Washington  has  not  been  com 
pleted,  and  that  it,  at  present,  exhibits  painful  indications  of 
neglect  and  decay. 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  75 

elegant  eulogistic  Address,  from  which  we  present 

our  readers  with  a  few  paragraphs. 

*  •*  *  .*  # 

"  We  are  assembled,  fellow-citizens,  to  witness 
and  assist  in  an  interesting  ceremony.  More 
than  a  century  has  passed  away  since  she  to 
whom  this  tribute  of  respect  is  about  to  be  paid, 
entered  upon  the  active  scenes  of  life.  A  century 
fertile  in  wonderful  events,  and  of  distinguished 
men  who  have  participated  in  them.  Of  these 
our  country  has  furnished  a  full  share  ;  and  of 
these  distinguished  men  she  has  produced  a 
WASHINGTON  !  If  he  was  "  first  in  war,  first  in 
peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,"  we 
may  say,  without  the  imputation  of  national  van 
ity,  that  if  not  the  first,  he  was  in  the  very  first 
rank  of  those,  too  few  indeed,  upon  whose  career 
mankind  can  look  back  without  regret,  and  whose 
memory  and  example  will  furnish  themes  of  eu 
logy  for  the  patriot,  wherever  free  institutions  are 
honored  and  maintained.  His  was  no  false  glory, 
deriving  its  lustre  from  the  glare  of  splendid  and 
destructive  actions,  commencing  in  professions 
of  attachment  to  his  country,  and  terminating  in 
the  subversion  of  her  freedom.  Far  different  is 
the  radiance  which  surrounds  his  name  and  fame. 


76  MEMOIR    OP 

It  shinei  mildly  and  equally,  and  guides  the  phi 
lanthropist  and  citizen  in  the  path  of  duty  ;  and 
it  will  guide  them  long  after  those  false  lights 
which  have  attracted  too  much  attention,  shall 
have  been  extinguished  in  darkness. 

"  In  the  grave  before  us,  lie  the  remains  of  his 
Mother.  Long  has  it  been  unmarked  by  any 
monumental  tablet,  but  not  unhonored.  You 
have  undertaken  the  pious  duty  of  erecting  a  col 
umn  to  her  name,  and  of  inscribing  upon  it,  the 
simple  but  affecting  words,  "  Mary,  the  Mother  of 
Washington."  No  eulogy  could  be  higher,  and 
it  appeals  to  the  heart  of  every  American. 

"  These  memorials  of  affection  and  gratitude, 
are  consecrated  by  the  practice  of  all  ages  and 
nations.  They  are  tributes  of  respect  to  the 
dead,  but  they  convey  practical  lessons  of  virtue 
and  wisdom  to  the  living.  The  mother  and  son 
are  beyond  the  reach  of  human  applause  ;  but 
the  bright  example  of  paternal  and  filial  excel 
lence,  which  their  conduct  furnishes  cannot  but 
produce  the  most  salutary  effects  upon  our  coun 
trymen.  Let  their  example  be  before  us  from  the 
first  lesson  which  is  taught  the  child,  till  the 
mother's  duties  yield  to  the  course  of  preparation 

and  action  which  nature  prescribes  for  him. 
***** 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  77 

1  Tradition  says,  that  the  character  of  Wash- 
ington  was  strengthened,  if  not  formed,  by  the 
care  and  precepts  of  his  mother.  She  was  re 
markable  for  the  vigor  of  her  intellect  and  the 

firmness  of  her  resolution. 

***** 

"  In  tracing  the  few  recollections  which  can  be 
gathered,  of  her  principles  and  conduct,  it  is  im 
possible  to  avoid  the  conviction,  that  these  were 
closely  interwoven  with  the  destiny  of  her  son. 
The  great  points  of  his  character  are  before  the 
world.  He  who  runs  may  read  them  in  his  whole 
career,  as  a  citizen,  a  soldier,  a  magistrate.  He 
possessed  unerring  judgment,  if  that  term  can  be 
applied  to  human  nature ;  great  probity  of  pur 
pose,  high  moral  principles,  perfect  self-possession, 
untiring  application,  and  inquiring  mind,  seeking 
information  from  every  quarter,  and  arriving  at 
its  conclusions  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  sub 
ject  ;  and  he  added  to  these  an  inflexibility  of 
resolution,  which  nothing  could  change  but  a 
conviction  of  error.  Look  back  at  the  life  and 
conduct  of  his  mother,  and  at  her  domestic  gov 
ernment,  as  they  have  this  day  been  delineated 
by  the  Chairman  of  the  Monumental  Committee, 
and  as  they  were  known  to  her  contemporaries, 


78  MEMOIR    OF 

and  have  been  described  by  them,  and  they  will 
be  found  admirably  adapted  to  form  and  develop, 
the  elements  of  such  a  character.  The  power 
of  greatness  was  there  ;  but  had  it  not  been 
guided  and  directed  by  maternal  solicitude  and 
judgment,  its  possessor,  instead  of  presenting  tc 
the  world,  examples  of  virtue,  patriotism  and  wis 
dom,  which  will  be  precious  in  all  succeeding  ages, 
might  have  added  to  the  number  of  those  master 
spirits,  whose  fame  rests  upon  the  faculties  they 
have  abused,  and  the  injuries  they  have  com 
mitted. 

*  *  *  *  * 

"  Fellow-citizens,  at  your  request,  and  in  your 
name,  I  now  deposit  this  plate  in  the  spot  destined 
for  it ;  and  when  the  American  pilgrim  shall,  in 
after  ages,  come  up  to  this  high  and  holy  place, 
and  lay  his  hand  upon  this  sacred  column,  may 
he  recall  the  virtues  of  her,  who  sleeps  beneath, 
and  depart  with  his  affections  purified,  and  his 
piety  strengthened,  while  he  invokes  blessings 
upon  the  Mother  of  Washington." 

The  following  impressive  lines  were  prepared 
for  this  interesting  ceremonial,  by  our  gifted 
countrywoman,  Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney : 


MARY    WASHINGTON. 


79 


u  Long  hast  tliou  slept  unnoted.    Nature  stole 
In  her  soft  ministiy,  around  thy  bed, 
And  spread  her  vernal  coverings,  violet-gemm'd, 
And  pearl'd  with  dews.     She  bade  bright  Summer  bring 
Gifts  of  frankincense,  with  sweet  song  of  birds, 
And  Autumn  cast  his  yellow  coronet 
Down  at  thy  feet,  and  stormy  Winter  speak 
Hoarsely  of  man's  neglect.     But  now  we  come 
To  do  thee  homage,  Mother  of  our  Chief, 
Fit  homage,  such  as  honoreth  him  who  pays  1 
Methinks  we  see  thee,  as  in  olden  time, 
Simple  in  garb — majestic  and  serene — 
Unaw'd  by  "  pomp  and  circumstance" — in  truth 
Inflexible — and  with  Spartan  zeal 
Repressing  vice,  and  making  folly  grave. 
Thou  didst  not  deem  it  woman's  part  to  waste 
Life  in  inglorious  sloth,  to  sport  awhile 
Amid  the  flowers,  or  on  the  summer  wave, 
Then  fleet  like  the  ephemeron  away, 
Building  no  temple  in  her  children's  hearts, 
Save  to  the  vanity  and  pride  of  life 
Which  she  had  worship  *p'd. 

"  Of  the  might  that  cloth'd 
The  "  Pater  Patrige"— of  the  deeds  that  won 
A  nation's  liberty,  and  earth's  applause, 
Making  Mount  Vernou's  tomb  a  Mecca  haunt — 
For  patriot  and  for  sage,  while  time  shall  last, 
What  part  was  thine,  what  thanks  to  thee  are  due, 
Who  mid  his  elements  of  being  wrought 
With  no  uncertain  aim — nursing  the  germs 


80  MEMOIR    OF 

Of  godlike  virtue  in  his  infant  mind, 
We  know  not, — heaven  can  tell  I 

"  Rise,  noble  pile  1 

And  show  a  race  unborn,  who  rests  below — 
And  say  to  mothers,  what  a  holy  charge 
Is  theirs — with  what  a  kingly  power  their  love 
Might  rule  the  fountains  of  the  new-born  mind- 
Warn  them  to  wake  at  early  dawn,  and  sow 
Good  seed  before  the  world  doth  sow  its  tares, 
Nor  in  then-  toil  decline — that  angel  bands 
May  put  the  sickle  in,  and  reap  for  God, 
And  gather  to  his  garner. 

"  Ye  who  stand 

"With  thrilling  breast  and  kindling  cheek  this  morn 
Viewing  the  tribute  that  Virginia  pays 
To  the  blest  Mother  of  her  glorious  Chief; 
Ye,  whose  last  thought  upon  your  nightly  couch, 
Whose  first,  at  waking,  is,  your  cradled  son, 
What  though  no  dazzling  hope  aspires  to  rear 
A  second  Washington,  or  leave  your  name, 
Wrought  out  in  marble,  with  your  country's  tears 
Of  deathless  gratitude, — yet  may  ye  raise 
A  monument  above  the  stars,  a  soul 
Led  by  your  teachings,  and  your  prayers,  to  God." 

The  exquisite  taste   and  perfect  keeping,  ex 
hibited  in  this  mausoleum,  render  it  one  of  the 
most  elegant  works  of  art,  of  which  our  country 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  81 

boasts.  The  form  is  pyramidal ;  and  the  height 
of  the  obelisk,  forty-five  feet.  The  shaft  is 
adorned  by  a  colossal  bust  of  the  immortal  Wash 
ington,  and  surmounted  by  the  American  Eagle,, 
sustaining  a  civic  crown  above  the  heroic  head. 

Language  can  scarcely  afford  a  more  irresist 
ibly  touching  illustration  of  the  moral  sublime, 
than  is  contained  in  the  brief  sentence  inscribed 
upon  this  hallowed  tomb  : — 

MARY 

THE      MOTHER      OP 

WASHINGTON. 


APPENDIX  TO  MARY  WASHINGTON 


APPENDIX  TO  MARY  WASHINGTON. 


NOTE  A.— "In  the  year  1538,  the  Manor  of 
Sulgrave,  in  Northumberlandshire,  was  granted 
to  Lawrence  Washington,  of  Gray's  Inn,  and  for 
some  time  Mayor  of  Northampton.  He  was  prob 
ably  born  at  Warton,  in  Lancashire,  where  his 
father  lived.  The  grandson  of  this  first  proprie 
tor  of  Sulgrave,  who  was  of  the  same  name,  had 
many  children,  two  of  whom,  that  is,  John  and 
Lawrence  Washington,  being  the  second  and 
fourth  sons,  emigrated  to  Virginia  about  the  year 
1657,  and  settled  at  Bridge's  Creek,  on  the  Po 
tomac  River,  in  the  county  of  Westmoreland 
The  eldest  brother,  Sir  William  Washington, 
married  a  half-sister  of  George  Villiers,  Duke  of 
Buckingham.  Lawrence  had  been  a  student  at 
Oxford.  John  had  resided  on  an  estate  at  South 
Cave,  in  Yorkshire,  which  give  rise  to  an  erro 
neous  tradition  among  his  descendants,  that  their 


86  APPENDIX    TO    MARY    WASHINGTON. 

ancestor  came  from  the  North  of  England.  The 
two  brothers  bought  lands  in  Virginia,  and  be 
came  successful  planters. 

"John  Washington,  not  long  after  corning  to 
America,  was  employed  in  a  military  command 
against  the  Indians,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of 
Colonel.  The  parish  in  which  he  lived  was  also 
named  after  him.  He  married  Anne  Pope,  by 
whom  he  had  two  sons,  Lawrence  and  John,  and 
a  daughter.  The  elder  son,  Lawrence,  married 
Mildred  Warner,  of  Gloucester  County,  and  had 
three  children,  John,  Augustine,  and  Mildred." 

"  Augustine  Washington,  the  second  son,  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Jane  Butler, 
by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  a  daughter; 
Butler,  who  died  in  infancy,  Lawrence,  Augus 
tine,  and  Jane,  the  last  of  whom  died  likewise, 
when  a  child."  His  second  wife  was  Mary  Ball 
SPARKS'  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


M  IB  II 


A  PERFECT  WOMAN,  nobly  planned, 
To  warn,  to  comfort,  and  command ; 
And  yet  a  spirit,  still  and  bright, 
With  something  of  an  Angers  light ! 

WORDSWORTH. 


Not  enjoyment,  and  not  sorrow, 
la  our  destined  end  or  way ; 
But  to  act  that  each  to-morrow, 
Finds  us  farther  than  to-day. 

LONGFELLOW 


CONTENTS 


OF   THE 


LIFE  OF  MARTHA  WASHINGTON, 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAQB 

THE  Subject  of  our  Memoir,  a  Hello,  in  her  early  Years,  f*  the  Capital 
of  Virginia — Her  Disposition  and  Appearance — Maiden  Name — Place 
and  Date  of  her  Birth — Descent — Education — Mental  Endowments — 
Her  early  Matrimonial  Engagement — Opposition  of  Col.  Custis'  Fa 
ther — The  Marriage  of  Miss  Dandridge — Removal  to  the  Plantation 
of  her  Husband — Name  and  Situation  of  the  Residence  of  Col.  Custi8 
— Character  and  Hospitality  of  Col.  Custis — Mrs.  Custis  an  American 
Matron — Becomes  a  Mother — Her  Domestic  Happiness — The  Death 
of  her  Eldest  Son— Death  of  Col.  Custis— Anecdote— Strength  of 
Mind  displayed  by  Mrs.  Custis — Her  two  remaining  Children — Her 
Religious  Principle— Business  Abilities  of  Mrs.  Custis— Active  At 
tention  to  her  Children  .  .  .  .  97 


CHAPTER  II. 


Mrs.  Custis  a  beautiful  and  fascinating  Widow— The  White  House  again 
the  Seat  of  Hospitality — Mrs.  Custis  for  some  time  not  tempted  to  re 
marry — Meets  Col.  Washington — His  undisguised  Admiration  of  the 
fair  Widow— Their  Engagemem— The  War-Steed  and  Servant  of  the 
Soldier  the  Victims  of  Cupid's  arts— Preparations  for  the  Wedding— 
The  Distinguished  Character  of  the  Assemblage— The  "  Pride,  Pcmp 
and  Circumstance"  of  the  Occasion  .  103 


92  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FAGB 

Date  of  the  Marriage  of  Col.  and  Mrs.  Washington— They  remove  from 
the  White  House  to  Mount  Vernon — Origin  of  the  Name  of  Washing 
ton's  Plantation — Washington's  desire  to  render  his  Home  worthy  of 
Us  Mistress — Memoranda  of  Articles  ordered  from  London — Peculiar 
Characteristics  of  Domestic  Life  in  the  Colonies — Mrs.  Washington 
assumes  her  new  Duties — Washington  relieves  her  from  the  Charge 
of  her  Pecuniary  Affairs — Mrs.  Washington  conducts  the  Education 
of  her  Children — Again  the  Wife  of  a  Virginia  Planter — Anecdote  of 
Washington — Mrs.  Washington's  Journeys  from  Home — Her  Friend 
ships  and  Hospitalities — Distinguished  Visitors  at  Mount  Vernon — 
Mrs.  Washington's  Charity,  conscientious  Care  of  Dependants,  Piety, 
and  Domestic  Contentment — Her  Pleasure  as  her  Daughter  advances 
towards  Womanhood— The  Death  of  Miss  Custis— Grief  of  the  Fam 
ily — Date  of  Miss  Custis'  Death — Signs  of  approaching  War — Wash 
ington  leaves  Home  to  attend  the  First  Congress  ....  113 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Mrs,  Washington  does  not  accompany  her  Husband  to  Philadelphia- 
Washington  is  appointed  Comvnander-in-Chief  of  the  American  Ar 
my — This  Intelligence  first  communicated  to  Mrs.  Washington  in  a 
Letter  from  her  Husband — The  LETTKR — Mrs.  Washington  deter 
mines  to  repair  to  the  Seat  of  War — LKTTKR  from  Washington  to  his 
Brother — Mrs.  Washington's  supposed  Danger  at  Mount  Vernon — 
Public  Reception  at  Philadelphia — She  is  invited  to  a  Ball — Annoying 
Proof  of  Popular  Disaffection— Leaves  Philadelphia— LETTKR  from 
Washington  to  Joseph  Reed,  Esq. — Mrs.  Washington's  Accommoda 
tions  at  Cambridge — LETTKR  from  Washington  to  Joseph  Reed,  Esq. 
—Mrs.  Washington's  Piety  and  Serenity  of  Mind— She  gains  the  Re 
gards  of  all  about  her,  and  the  Appellation  of  "Lady  Washington" — 
She  takes  Leave  of  her  Husband  and  Son  and  returns  to  Mount 
Vernoa  ,  .  .  128 


CHAPTER  V. 

Mrs.  Washington  establishes  a  Domestic  System  suited  to  the  Times— 
Her  Success  in  Domestic  Manufactures — Mrs.  Washington's  peculiar 
interest  in  Public  Affairs— Her  Indignation  at  the  Treachery  medi 
tated  towards  the  Commander- in-Chief,  und  her  Delight  when  in 
formed  of  the  successful  Passage  of  the  Delaware  .  .142 


CONTENTS.  93 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FAOB 

Washington  goes  into  Winter  Quarters— Mrs.  Washington  joins  hffli  in 
the  Camp^-Her  Husband's  Care  and  Attention  during  her  Yearly 
Journeys— Mrs.  Washington  travels  in  her  own  Carriage,  attended  by  a 
Military  Escort — The  Example  of  Mrs.  Washington  generally  followed 
by  the  Wives  of  the  principal  Officers  of  the  Army — Mrs.  Washington 
the  Favorite  of  the  Army — Anecdote — The  Cheerfulness  and  Equa 
nimity  of  Mrs.  Washington,  while  residing  in  the  Camp — Her  Society 
highly  valued  by  the  Comrnander-in-Chief— Anecdote — Mrs.  Wash 
ington  devotes  herself  to  the  care  of  the  Sick  and  Suffering — She 
forms  many  agreeable  Friendships— Her  Correspondence  at  this  Time 
— EXTRACT  FROM  A  LETTKR — Mrs.  Washington's  intimate  Associa 
tion  with  the  Heroes  of  the  Revolution 147 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Mrs.  Washington's  return  to  Mount  Vernon,  in  the  Spring  of  1777 — Re- 
assumes  the  personal  Charge  of  Family  Affairs — Supplies  the  Place 
of  her  Husband  at  Home — Ready  to  return  to  Camp  in  the  Autumn 
— The  Army  at  Valley  Forge — Passage  from  one  of  Mrs.  Washing 
ton's  LETTERS — Christian  Faith  and  Fortitude  of  Mrs.  Washington 
—Spring  brings  cheering  Tidings  from  France — Active  Movements  in 
the  Camp — Mrs.  Washington  again  repairs  to  her  Home — Mrs.  Wash 
ington's  Winter  at  Valley  Forge  a  Type  of  many  successive  Seasons— 
The  Location  of  Head-Quarters — The  Marquis  de  Chastelleux  the 
Guest  of  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Washington,  in  the  Camp — EXTRACT — Mrs. 
Washington  neglected  by  the  Philadelphia  Ladies — She  is  hospita 
bly  received  elsewhere — Mrs.  Washington  visits  Mrs.  Barry,  of  New 
Jersey — A  Ball  given  in  Honor  of  her  Arrival — The  Equipage,  Attend 
ants  and  Dre.*s  of  Mrs.  Washington  at  this  time — The  Commander- 
in-Chief  dances  at  the  Ball— The  Anniversary  of  the  National  Alli 
ance  with  France  celebrated  by  a  Ball,  at  which  Mrs.  Washington  is 
present — The  Respect  entertained  for  Mrs.  Washington  in  Europe— 
Reported  Present  from  the  Queen  of  France — The  Marriage  of  Mrs. 
Washington's  Son,  Col.  Custis — Her  Daughter-in-law  resides  ul 
Mount  Vernon — Repeated  Illness  of  the  Commander-in-Chief—  Mrs. 
Washington's  Hea'th  impaired — She  is  Inoculated  for  the  Small-pox 
— Mrs.  Washington's  Appearance  at  this  Period  of  her  Life— Grand 
children  claim  the  Care  and  Affection  of  Mrs.  Washington — Her  Oc 
cupations  and  Amusements — Prospects  of  Peace — Mrs.  Washington'f 
Anticipations  of  Domestic  Felicity— She  is  summoned  to  the  Death 
bed  of  her  Son — Particulars  respecting  Col.  Custis' Public  Career,  Ill 
ness  and  Death — Washington's  Grief  on  this  Occasion — His  Sym' 
pathy  with  Mrs.  Washington 158 


94  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FAQ  ft 

Date  of  CoL  Custis'  Death — Mrs.  Washington  devotes  herself  more  en 
tirely  to  the  Charge  of  her  Grand-children— She  remains  at  Mount 
Vernon — Her  Hospitality  and  Benevolence — Her  Husband  returns  to  - 
Mount  Vernon — Passage  from  one  of  Washington's  LETTERS  to  the 
Marchioness  de  La  Fayette — Proposed  Enlargement  and  Improve 
ment  of  the  Mansion  and  Grounds  of  Mount  Vernon — The  manifold 
Occupations  of  Mrs.  Washington — Her  Industry,  Method,  Domestic 
Discipline,  Personal  Neatness,  Courtesy  and  Conversation  at  Table, 
Regular  Devotional  Exercises — Mrs.  Washington  a  Lady  of  the  "  Old 
School"— Complimentary  Testimony  of  the  Marquis  de  Chastelleux 
— The  Grand-children  of  Mrs.  Washington  the  Favorites  of  Mount 
Vernon — Numerous  Visitors  at  Mount  Vernon — Mrs.  C.  Maccauley 
Graham — The  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  the  Guest  of  Gen.  and  Mrs. 
Washington — Expectations  of  a  Visit  from  the  Marchioness — LETTER 
from  Washington  to  Madame  de  La  Fayette— The  Marquis  returns  to 
Mount  Vernon  before  leaving  the  Country — Proofs  of  the  continued 
Friendship  cherished  by  the  distinguished  Military  Companions  of 
the  Commander-in-Chief — Her  Husband  continually  associates  Mrs. 
Washington  with  himself  in  his  Correspondence  with  his  Friends — 
Few  present  traces  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Letters — Illustrative  Ex 
tract — Devotion  of  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Washington  to  the  Practical  Du 
ties  of  their  Station— Their  Self-Denial—Order  for  Plate  counter 
manded — Donation  to  a  Literary  Institution — Mrs.  Washington's 
Pleasure  at  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  by  her  Native 
State— Public  Rejoicings  in  the  City  of  Alexandria— Mrs.  Washing 
ton's  Patriotism  and  Philanthropy 177 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Election  of  Washington  to  the  Presidency — Mrs.  Washington's  Reluc 
tance  to  leave  Home— LETTER  from  Mrs.  Washington  to  a  Female 
Friend — Journey  from  Mount  Vernon  to  the  City  of  New  York — 
The  Bridge  at  Trenton  and  the  Inauguration— Mrs.  Washington  in 
High  Station — Propriety  of  State  and  Ceremony  in  the  Presidential 
Establishment— Mrs.  Washington's  Domestic  Arrangements — Her 
Levees— The  Levees  and  Dinners  of  the  President— State  Dress  of 
the  President — Particular  Ceremonies  of  the  National  Fete  Days — 
Distinguishing  Attention  paid  to  Mrs.  Montgomery  and  to  Mrs. 
Green — Respect  paid  to  the  Sabbath  by  the  President  and  Mrs. 
Washington — The  Revolutionary  Soldiers  always  welcomed  to  the 
Presidential  Mansion — Mrs.  Washington  receives  the  Attention  due 
to  her  exalted  Position  with  proper  Self-Respect—She  never  con 
verses  in  Public  upon  Political  Subjects — Mr.  Washington  passes  a 


CONTENTS.  95 

PAOB 

Portion  of  each  Summer  at  Mount  Vernon— Still  regardful  of  the  In 
terest  and  Improvement  of  her  Grand-children — Preparations  for  the 
final  Departure  of  President  and  Mi's.  Washington  from  the  Seat  of 
Governmsnt— Leave-takings,  and  Bestowment  of  Tokens  of  Remem 
brance  and  Regard 198 


CHAPTER  X. 

Mrs.  Washington  returns  permanently  to  Mount  Vernon— Pleasing  Re 
sults  of  former  Improvements  there— The  Domestic  Happiness  of 
Mrs.  Washington  and  her  Family— Sudden  Illness  of  Washington— 
The  overwhelming  Grief  of  Mrs.  Washington— The  Death  of  the 
Father  of  his  Country — Mrs.  Washington  leaves,  never  to  return,  the 
Apartments  she  had  occupied  with  her  Husband— The  Grief  of  a 
Nation — The  Remains  of  WASHINGTON  yielded  to  the  Government 
—Mrs.  Washington's  confident  Hope  in  the  Eternal  Felicity  of  her 
Husband— Her  deep  Grief  and  Christian  Fortitude— Mrs.  Washington 
continues  her  former  Attention  to  tne  active  Duties  of  Life — In  her 
69th  year — The  Health  of  Mrs.  Washington  is  undermined — She  be 
comes  seriously  111— She  is  conscious  of  her  approaching  Dissolu 
tion—The  Death-bed  of  Mrs.  Washington— She  calmly  expires— 
Date  of  Mrs.  Washington's  Death— Her  Place  of  Sepulture  .  .  216 


Appendix  to  Martha  Washington 


THE  WIFE  OF  WASHINGTON, 


CHAPTER  I. 


Grace  was  in  all  her  steps,  heaven  in  her  eye, 

In  every  gesture,  dignity  and  love.  MILTON 


Our  youthful  summer  oft  we  see 
Dance  by  on  wings  of  game  and  glee, 
Whilst  the  dark  storm  resumes  its  rage. 

*  *  *  *  * 

And  such  a  lot,  my  theme,  was  thine, 
When  thou,  of  late,  wert  doom'd  to  twine,— 
Just  when  the  bridal  wreath  was  by,— 
The  cypress  with  the  myrtle  tie.  SCOTT. 

THE  ILLUSTRIOUS  SUBJECT  of  the  following 
Memoir,  is  first  presented  to  our  attention  in  the 
interesting  position  of  a  youthful  belle  at  the 
Court  of  the  stately  representative  of  British 
power  and  rule,  within  the  limits  of  the  proud, 
aristocratical  and  wealthy  "  Old  Dominion." 

The  charms  of  an  agreeable  person  and  a  lovely 
face,  enhanced  by  the  superior  fascination  of 
winning  manners  and  an  amiable  disposition 

7 


98  MEMOIR    OF 

combined  to  render  this  fair  representative  of  an 
ancient  race,  one  of  the  most  admired  and  be 
loved  of  the  many  living  flowers  assembled  dur 
ing  the  season  of  fashion,  to  grace  the  Colonial 
Court  of  Governor  Dinwiddie. 

MARTHA  DANDRIDGE  was  born  in  the  County 
of  New  Kent,  in  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  in  May, 
1732.  The  long  line  of  ancestors  from  whom  she 
was  descended,  was  originally  represented  in  the 
Colony  by  the  Rev.  Orlando  Jones,  a  Welsh 
gentleman,  who  early  established  himself  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac. 

Miss  Dandridge  possessed  only  such  artificial 
accomplishments  as  the  system  of  domestic  in 
struction,  then  the  sole  means  of  female  education 
in  her  native  land,  enabled  her  to  acquire.  But 
she  was,  happily,  endowed  by  nature,  with  infi 
nitely  more  essential  qualifications  for  usefulness 
and  happiness  than  these  could  supply — self- 
respect,  good  sense,  gentleness  of  temper,  a  quick 
perception  of  propriety,  and  a  ready  power  of 
self-adaptation  to  the  exigencies  and  necessities 
of  practical  life. 

Though  the  celebrity  early  acquired,  and  the 
distinguished  associations  as  early  commenced  by 
Miss  Dandridge,  were  perpetuated  through  the 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  99 

accumulated  years  of  a  long  and  varied  life,  her 
career  in  the  dazzling  realms  of  fashion,  was  des 
tined  to  be  as  evanescent  as  it  was  brilliant  and 
agreeable. 

Won  by  the  almost  resistless  power  of  a  deep 
and  discriminating  attachment, — that  most  ex 
quisitely  delicate  and  expressive  of  compliments, — 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  before  adulation  and  her 
unusual  succes  de  societe  had  alloyed  the  ingen 
uous  simplicity,  or  diminished  the  buoyant  en 
thusiasm  of  her  noble  nature, 

" in  the  lustre  of  her  youth,  she  gave 


Her  hand,  with  her  heart  in  it,  to" — 

one  of  her  numerous  admirers,  Colonel  Daniel 
Parke  Custis,  a  son  of  the  Hon.  John  Custis  of 
Arlington. 

Through  her  eventful  life,  it  was  the  happy 
fate  of  this  distinguished  lady  to  be  the  object  of 
warm  and  disinterested  affection ;  and  this  char 
acteristic  of  her  history  was  eminently  illustrated 
by  the  attachment  of  Col.  Custis,  who, -in  opposi 
tion  to  the  more  ambitious  matrimonial  designs 
of  his  father, — himself  a  King's  Counsellor,  and 
desirous  of  public  honors  for  his  son, — preferred 
the  young  and  lovely  Miss  DANDRIDGE  to  all  the 


100  MEMOIR    OF 

allurements  of  political  distinction  and  unbounded 
wealth. 

The  consent  of  the  reluctant  and  ambitious 
King's  Counsellor  yielded,  at  last,  to  the  firmness 
and  ardor  of  manly  constancy,  the  successful  lover 
triumphantly  bore  away  his  fair  prize,  to  his  plan 
tation  in  her  native  County  of  Kent. 

The  residence  of  Col.  Custis  was  situated  on 
the  shore  of  the  Pamunkey  River,  and  was  known 
by  the  now  peculiarly  significant  appellation  of 
the  "  White  House." 

He  was  a  highly  prosperous  planter,  and  a 
pleasing  impersonation  of  the  Virginia  gentleman 
of  the  olden  time.  Possessed  of  sterling  integrity, 
and  eminently  gifted  with  the  refined  and  elevated 
sentiments  so  agreeably  illustrated  by  the  peculiar 
incidents  connected  with  his  matrimonial  engage 
ment,  he  was,  also,  endowed  by  nature  with  a 
heart  as  generously  liberal  as  his  purse  was  ample 
and  overflowing.  Living  in  times  when  hospi 
tality  was  not  only  practised  as  a  duty  and  a 
virtue,  but  regarded  as  affording  some  of  the  most 
innocent  and  delightful  gratifications  of  domestic 
life,  his  bountiful  board  was  habitually  spread, 
like  those  of  the  feudal  lords  of  other  days  and 
other  lands,  not  alone  for  numerous  vassals  and 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  101 

dependants,  but  in  preparation  for  the  cordial 
welcome  equally  awaiting  the  passing  stranger 
and  the  expected  friend. 

*  The  obligations  and  responsibilities  appertain 
ing  to  the  mistress  of  so  extensive  an  establish 
ment  as  that  of  the  "  White  House,"  however 
agreeable  in  their  nature,  were  necessarily,  by  no 
means  either  nominal  or  light.  But  she  who  had 
voluntarily  and  "nothing  loath,"  so  early  exchang 
ed  her  youthful  pleasures  and  her  maiden  free 
dom  for  the  cares  and  duties  of  an  American 
Matron,  readily  and  cheerfully  assimilated  her 
self  to  her  new  position. 

And  when  the  more  interesting  and  important 
avocations  of  a  mother  were  added,  to  those  of  the 
wife  of  a  Virginia  country  gentleman,  the  home 
in  which  MRS.  CUSTIS  presided  continued  to  illus 
trate  the  judicious  system  of  household  arrange 
ment,  the  wise  economy,  order,  and  regularity  for 
which  she  was  through  life  so  remarkable. 

To  the  friends  whom  she  had  known  and  loved 
in  her  girlhood,  and  who  still  continued  to  evince 
undiminished  their  former  interest  and  regard, 
time  only  added  nearer  ties  and  more  endearing 
associations,  and 

u  The  wife,  the  mother,  dearer  than  the  bride," 


102  MEMOIR    OP 

the  sweet  home-virtues  long  went  hc.nd  in  hand 
with  Health,  Peace,  and  Content, — the  lovely 
graces  of  the  fireside  ! 

Thus,  for  some  time,  the  halcyon  days  of  the 
domestic,  felicity  of  Mrs.  Custis  glided  uninter 
ruptedly  on. 

But  never  does  earthly  happiness  continue  un 
alloyed  !  Death  entered,  and  desolated  this  Eden 
of  Delight ! 

The  first  victim  of  the  destroyer  was  the  hope 
and  joy  of  his  parents, — their  eldest  child, — 
whose  unusual  mental  developments  gave  only 
too  delusive  and  fleeting  promise  of  the  future. 

Soon  after  this  melancholy  event,  Col.  Custis 
(his  malady  incurably  heightened  by  the  effects 
of  overwhelming  grief  for  the  loss  of  his  son,) 
sunk,  prematurely,  into  the  grave,  when  he  had 
scarcely  attained  the  prime  of  manhood ! 

With  the  painfully-touching  proof  of  extraor 
dinary  sensibility  afforded  by  the  mournful  cause 
of  his  early  death,  family  tradition  unites  an 
anecdote  illustrative  of  another  prominent  trait 
in  the  interesting  character  of  Col.  Custis  : — "  It 
is  related  of  this  amiable  gentleman,"  says  his 
brief  biographer  and  immediate  descendant,  "  that, 
when  on  his  death-bed,  he  sent  for  a  tenant,  to 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  103 

whom,  in  settling  an  account,  he  was  due  one 
shilling.  The  tenant  begged  that  the  Colonel, 
who  had  ever  been  most  kind  to  his  tenantry, 
would  not  trouble  himself  at  all  about  such  a 
trifle,  as  he,  the  tenant,  had  forgotten  it  long  ago. 
"  But  I  have  not,"  rejoined  the  just  and  conscien 
tious  landlord,  and  bidding  his  creditor  take  up 
the  coin,  which  had  been  purposely  placed  on  his 
pillow,  exclaimed,  "Now  my  accounts  are  all 
closed  with  this  world!"  and  shortly  after  ex 
pired. 

Thus  suddenly  deprived,  not  only  of  the  child 
whose  existence  had  first  awakened  in  her  bosom 
the  holy  love  and  the  lofty  aspirations  of  a 
mother,  but,  of  the  friend  and  counsellor  whose 
changeless  affection  had  long  made  the  sunshine 
of  her  life,  and  upon  whom  she  had  so  implicitly 
relied  for  effective  aid  in  the  fulfilment  of  her 
solemn  and  momentous  maternal  duties,  Mrs. 
Custis  did  not  weakly  abandon  herself  to  useless 
lamentation,  or  helpless  despair.  Two  children 
still  survived  to  claim  her  care  and  affection; 
and,  after  the  first  burst  of  impassioned  and  over 
powering  sorrow,— seeking  strength  for  the  effort 
where  alone  it  could  be  found,  in  the  promised 
aid  of  a  chastening,  but  merciful  Redeemer, — 


104  MEMOIR    OF 

she  nerved  herself  for  conscientious  and  perse 
vering  attention  to  duties  and  interests  so  pain 
fully  augmented  and  so  mournfully  and  deeply 
important. 

Col.  Custis  gave  the  highest  proof  that  the  ro 
mantic  attachment  and  well-founded  respect  of 
early  days  remained  undiminished  through  the 
lapse  of  years,  by  leaving  to  his  widow  the  ex 
clusive  management  and  disposition,  not  only  of 
her  own  pecuniary  interests,  but  of  those  of  her 
children. 

How  triumphantly  Mrs.  Custis  proved  her 
ability  for  the  task  thus  delegated  to  her,  will  be 
best  told  in  the  words  of  the  same  authority  to 
which  we  have  before  referred. — "  Independently 
of  extensive  and  valuable  landed  estates,  the  Col 
onel  left  thirty  thousand*  pounds  sterling  in 
money,  with  half  that  amount  to  his  only  daugh 
ter  Martha.  ***** 

"Mrs.  Custis,  as  sole  executrix,  managed  the 

*  Mr.  Sparks  states  this  sum  to  have  been  still  larger.  He 
says : — "  Mr.  Custis  had  left  large  landed  estates  in  New  Kent 
County,  and  forty-five  thousand  pounds  sterling  in  money.  One 
third  part  of  this  property  she  [Mrs.  Custis,]  held  in  her  own 
right,  the  other  two  thirds  being  equally  divided  between  her 
children." — Sparks'  Life  of  Washington,  vol.  i,  p.  105. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON  105 

extensive  landed  and  pecuniary  concerns  of  the 
estates  with  surprising  ability,  making  loans  on 
mortgage,  of  moneys,  and,  through  her  stewards 
and  agents,  conducting  the  sales  or  exportation 
of  the  crops  to  the  best  possible  advantage/' 

If  not  as  lightly  and  blissfully  as  of  old,  still 
peacefully  and  hopefully,  time  passed  with  the 
widowed  mother,  wrhile  engaged  in  these  needful 
occupations,  and  in  the  most  affectionate  devo 
tion  to  the  education  and  happiness  of  her  chil 
dren,  whom  it  was  her  sedulous  endeavor  to  in 
spire  with  a  wish  to  emulate  the  virtues  of  their 
father  ; — thus  rendering  just  homage  to  his  mem 
ory,  and  suitably  entitling  them  to  the  splendid 
worldly  endowments  and  to  the  honorable  name 
which  were  alike  their  proud  inheritance. 


106  MEMOIR    OF 


CHAPTER  II. 


O,  young  Lochinvar  is  come  out  of  the  West, 

Through  all  the  wide  Border  his  steed  was  the  best ; 

And  save  his  good  broadsword,  he  weapons  had  none» 

He-Yode  all  unarmed,  and  he  rode  all  alone. 

So  faithful  in  love,  and  so  dauntless  in  war, 

There  never  was  knight  like  the  young  Lochinvar!  SCOIT. 


And  bright 

The  lamps  shone  o'er  fair  women  and  brave  men: 
A  thousand  hearts  beat  happily ;  and  when 
Music  arose  with  its  voluptuous  swell, 
Soft  eyes  look'd  love  to  eyes  which  spake  again !  BYRON. 


BEAUTIFUL,  gifted,  with  great  fascination  of 
manner,  unusually  accomplished,  extremely 
wealthy,  youthful,  and 

"  Without  any  control,  but  the  sweet  one  of  gracefulness," 

it  is  not  surprising, — the  usual  period  of  mourn 
ing  and  seclusion  passed, — that  the  hand  of  MRS. 
CUSTIS  was  sought  by  many  and  ardent  suitors. 

The  "  White  House"  became  again  the  chosen 
abode  of  refined  and  graceful  hospitality,  and  its 
fair  and  gentle  mistress  once  more  assumed  her 
place  in  the  elegant  and  distinguished  circle,  to 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  107 

vhe  attractions  of  which  her  presence  had  for 
merly  made  so  agreeable  an  addition. 

But  though  participating  with  subdued  cheer 
fulness  in  the  rational  enjoyments  of  social  life, 
and  extending  equal  courtesy  to  all  who  came 
within  the  sphere  of  her  magic  influence ;  yet  a 
taste,  refined,  it  might  be  even  to  fastidiousness, 
by  prolonged  and  intimate  association  with  one 
of  the  most  amiable  and  honorable  of  men,  was 
not  easily  satisfied.  Nor  would  the  heart  that 
had  been  so  entirely  his,  through  many  happy 
years  of  wedded  love,  readily  yield  itself  to  the 
keeping  of  another. 

"  Oft  she  rejects,  but  never  once  offends.1' 

Content  in  her  singular  freedom  from  authori 
tative  restraint,  conscious  of  her  ability  to  con 
duct,  unaided,  her  own  business  affairs,  and  those 
of  her  children, — young,  lovely,  admired,  re 
spected, — why  should  she  exchange  her  felicitous 
independence  for  a  protection,  in  her  peculiar 
circumstances  little  better  than  nominal  per 
chance,  or,  at  least,  for  many  reasons,  undesirable 
and  unnecessary?  The  well-remembered  virtues 
of  his  father  would  be  the  best  guide  of  her  son, 
and  her  ceaseless  assiduity  would  obtain  both  for 


108  MEMOIR    OF 

him  and  for  his  sister,  every  advantage  that  un 
limited  pecuniary  resources  and  the  most  affec 
tionate  interest  could  unitedly  secure.  Why, 
then,  either  for  their  benefit,  or  for  her  own  hap 
piness,  should  their  mother  renounce  her  present 
name  ? 

Governed  by  these  numerous,  weighty,  and 
seemingly-conclusive  reasons,  the  beautiful  widow 
remained  immovably  relentless,  while  each  ena 
mored  lover  pressed,  in  turn,  his  glowing  and  dis 
interested  suit !  Eloquence  did  not  shake  her 
resolution,  manly  beauty  and  intelligence,  pol 
ished  manners,  high  honor, — all  were  vain  to 
ruffle  the  "  waveless  calm"  of  the  unresponding 
heart,  in  whose  peaceful  depths  lay  enshrined — • 
the  treasures  of  memory  ! 

At  length,  by  accident,  there  crossed  her  path, 
one,  whose  Star  of  Fame  was  already  far  in  the 
ascendant  m  his  native  State  ;  a  patriotic  and 
distinguished  citizen-soldier,  who  could  tell 

"  of  most  disastrous  chances, 
Of  moving  accidents  by  flood  and  field, 
Of  hair-breadth  'scapes  i'  the  imminent  deadly  breach, 
Of  being  taken  by  the  insolent  foe  1"* 


*  Our  readers  will  consider  the  application  of  this  last  line  as 
scarcely  involving  a  poetic  license,  when  they  recollect  the  fact 
recorded  in  the  annexed  passage  : — 


MARY    WASHINGTON.  109 

His  conversation,  his  manners,  his  appearance, 
combined  to  prove  this  interesting  stranger  no 
common  mortal,  no  ordinary  wooer !  Nature 
had  stamped  upon  his  powerful  frame  and  majes 
tic  countenance  an  unmistakable  impress  of  the 
mental  power  that  dwelt  within,  and  sealed  his 
august  brow,  with 

"  The  stamp  of  Fate  and  fiat  of  a  God  1" 

Again  and  again  the  fascinated  soldier  sought 
the  presence  of  the  enchanting  widow.  Again 
and  again  he  spontaneously  acknowledged  the 
winning  power  of  her  lithe  and  graceful  form,  her 
bright,  expressive  face,  and  the  far  more  potent 
magic  of  her  suave  and  benignant  manners,  her 
noble  and  disciplined  intellect.  And  he,  the  vic 
tor-crowned, — now  himself  subdued, — awaited  his 
fate  at  the  hand  of  the  resistless  charmer ! 

What  wonder,  then,  that  the  lofty  resolve  to 
preserve  unchanged  her  womanly  liberty,  which 
was  erst  the  high  prerogative  of  MRS.  CUSTIS, 

Lieutenant  Col.  "Washington,  "being  joined  soon  after  by  the 
residue  of  the  regiment,  and  a  few  other  troops,  making  an  ag 
gregate  of  somewhat  less  than  four  hundred  men,  they  erected 
a  small  stockade  fort ;  here  he  was  attacked  by  twelve  hundred 
French  and  Indians,  and  after  a  brave  resistance  from  ten  in  the 
morning  until  night,  he  capitulated." 

NATIONAL  PORTRAIT  GALLERY 


110  MEMOIR    OP 

should,  gradually,  "  melt  into  thin  air/'  like  the 
scrolled  snow-wreath,  beneath  the  ardent  gaze  of 
advancing  Phoebus  ! — 

" Airy  messengers  had  sought, 

The  rosy  realms  of  Fancy  through," 

and,  with  one  accord,  they  yielded  the  palm  of 
highest  merit  to  the  youthful  Washington ! 

The  favorite  charger  of  the  Hero  of  Mononga- 
hela,  and  his  faithful  Bishop,*  in  obedience  to  the 
high  behest  of  their  noble  master,  now  often 
traced  with  him,  the  familiar  way  that  conducted 
to  the  hospitable  "  White  House."  Long  and 
often  did  the  impatient  war-steed  await  his  time- 
unheeding  rider ;  long  and  often  did  the  assiduous 
attendant  marvel  at  a  forgetfulness  of  commands 
that  on  other  occasions,  sometimes  anticipated 
even  his  prompt  and  exact  punctuality. 

And  now,  all  was  in  elegant  and  tasteful  prepa 
ration  in  the  "  White  House/'  for  the  elaborate 
and  splendid  celebration  of  the  approaching 
bridal. 

Numerous  relatives  and  valued  friends,  aristo 
cratic  magnates  of  the  "  Old  Dominion,"  stately 

*  Each  bequeathed  him  by  the  dying  Braddock  on  the  ill* 
starred  field  of  his  last  battla 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  Ill 

matrons,  and  dignified  statesmen,  the  young,  the 
beautiful,  the  brave,  were  assembled  in  honor  of 
nuptials  so  signally  auspicious,  so  brilliant  and  so 
felicitous. 

"  Much  hath  the  biographer*  heard  of  that 
marriage,  from  gray-haired  domestics,  who  waited 
at  the  board  where  love  made  the  feast  and 
WASHINGTON  was  the  guest.  And  rare  and  high 
was  the  revelry,  at  that  palmy  period  of  Virginia's 
festal  age  ;  for  many  were  gathered  at  that  mar 
riage  of  the  good,  the  great,  the  gifted  and  the 
gay,  while  Virginia,  with  joyous  acclamation, 
hailed  in  her  youthful  hero  a  prosperous  and 
happy  bridegroom/' 

Imagination  will  better  picture  the  pomp  and 
splendor  of  this  interesting  scene  than  any  de 
scription  of  ours.  Thus  will  our  readers  satis 
factorily  behold  the  fairest  of  Virginia's  fair 
daughters,  arrayed  in  the  superb  brocades,  the 
costly  laces,  and  sparkling  jewels  that  the  Old 
World  alone  could  then  supply ;  gallant  cavaliers, 
m  the  elaborate  and  elegant  costumes  of  the  time; 
ihe  brilliant  apartments,  the  bountiful  board,  glit 
tering  with  massive  plate,  and  loaded  with  sub- 

*  We  borrow  the   expressive  language  of  the   interesting 
annalist  to  whose  authority  we  before  referred 


112  MEMOIR    OF 

stantial  viands,  rich  wines,  and  delicate  conserves. 
Thus  aided  they  may  listen  to  the  gay  conversa 
tion,  the  merry  song,  the  whispered  words,  the 
blithesome  laugh,  the  flashing  wit,  the  inspiring 
music,  each  well  befitting  the  occasion ;  and 
watch 

" the  docile  footstep  to  the  heave  of  the  sweet  measure, 

As  music  wafts  the  form  aloft  at  its  melodious  pleasure, 

Now  breaking  through  the  woven  chain  of  the  entangled  dance  I" 

The  same  magic  power  will  most  successfully 
portray  the  grace,  the  loveliness,  the  tearful 
smiles,  the  glowing  cheek  of  the  Bride,  when 
warm  words  and  softened  looks  bespoke  the  cor 
dial  aspirations  for  her  future  happiness  that 
swelled  the  hearts  of  her  friends  ;  and  the  ani 
mated  countenance,  the  majestic  mien,  the  undis 
guised  rapture  of  the  triumphant  and  love-crowned 
Soldier. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  113 


CHAPTER  III. 


For  still  where  the  firm       ***** 
And  the  stern,  in  sweet  marriage  is  blent  with  the  meek) 
Rings  the  concord  harmonious,  both  tender  and  strong ; 

****** 
The  heart  to  the  heart  flows  in  one,  love  delighted.     SCBILLKR. 


*       *       Woe  to  thy  dream  of  delight ; 
In  darkness  dissolves  the  gay  frost-work  of  bliss ; 
Where  now  is  the  picture  that  Fancy  touch'd  bright  ? 

W.  W.  DlMOND. 


But  lo !  a  Congress !    What,  that  hallow'd  name 

Which  freed  the  Atlantic  ?  BYRON, 


SOON  after  their  union,  which  occurred,  it  is 
believed,  in  January,  1759,  COLONEL  and  MRS. 
WASHINGTON  removed  from  the  "  White  House" 
to  Mount  Vernon,  which  continued  thenceforth, 
to  be  the  permanent  family  residence.* 

*  Mount  Vernon  is  in  Fairfax  Co.,  Virginia.  It  is  pleasantly 
situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Potomac,  nine  miles  below 
Alexandria  and  fifteen  miles  from  "Washington.  It  may  interest 
some  of  our  readers  to  learn  the  origin  of  the  name  of  a  spot 
now  possessing  so  much  celebrity.  George  Washington  in 
herited  this  residence  from  his  eldest  brother,  Lawrence^  who 


MEMOIR    OF 

The  mansion  then  bearing  this  name,  was 
much  smaller  than  it  afterwards  became.  It  con 
sisted  only  of  the  centre  of  the  present  building, 
with  but  four  rooms  on  the  first  floor.  Its  owner 
had  resided  there  for  some  years  previous  to  his 
marriage,  but  Mount  Vernon  was  now,  for  the 
first  time,  graced  by  the  presence  of  a  mistress. 

We  find  many  proofs,  in  his  published  papers 
and  Correspondence,  of  the  efforts  made  by  Col. 
Washington  to  augment  the  comforts  and  multi 
ply  the  embellishments  of  his  home,  after  it 
received  the  fair  and  gentle  inmate,  whose  hap 
piness  was,  thenceforth,  to  be  his  peculiar  care. 

Nor  was  his  attention  confined  to  matters 
appertaining  merely  to  daily  convenience,  01 
general  improvement, — it  extended  to  all  that 
could  lend  attractiveness  to  home-life,  for  the  en 
joyments  of  which  the  inhabitants  of  M our  t 
Vernon  mutually  possessed  an  ardent  love. 

"  held  a  Captain's  commission  in  the  Provincial  troops,  employed 
in  the  celebrated  attack  against  Carthagcna,  under  Admiral 
Vernon.  On  his  return,  he  settled  on  his  patrimonial  estate  • 
which,  through  respect  to  his  Admiral,  he  called  Mount  Vernon." 
This  gentleman  died  not  long  afterwards,  bequeathing  his  estate 
to  his  only  child,  in  case  of  whose  deatli  it  was  to  descend  to  his 
brother  George,  "  with  the  reservation  of  the  use  of  the  same 
to  the  wife  during  her  lifetime." 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  115 

The  following  Memoranda  of  articles  to  be 
ordered  from  Europe,  the  originals  of  which  were 
found  by  Mr.  Sparks  among  Washington's  papers, 
in  his  own  hand-writing,  will  serve  as  passing 
indications  of  the  refined  and  elegant  taste  that 
directed  everything  within  the  precincts  of  the 
new  abode  of  Mrs.  Washington  : — 

"DIRECTIONS  FOR  THE  BUSTS. — One  of  Alex 
ander  the  Great;  another  of  Julius  Csesar;  another 
of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden ;  and  a  fourth  of  the 
King  of  Prussia/'* 

"  N,  B.  These  are  not  to  exceed  fifteen  inches 
in  height,  nor  ten  in  width." 

"  2  other  Busts,  of  Prince  Eugene  and  the  Duke 
of  Marlborough,  somewhat  smaller." 

"  2  Wild  Beasts,  not  to  exceed  twelve  inches  in 
height,  nor  eighteen  in  length." 

"  Sundry  small  ornaments  for  chimney-piece." 

We  also  find  Col.  Washington  seeking,  by  im 
portations  from  France  and  England,  to  adorn 
his  plantation  with  the  graceful  drapery  of  the 

*  How  little  did  the  writer  imagine,  when  penning  this  order, 
that  not  many  years  later,  his  walls  would  be  adorned  by  a 
portrait  of  the  Great  Frederick,  sent  him  by  that  Monarch,  and 
accompanied  by  the  memorable  words,  "  From  the  oldest  Gen 
eral  in  Europe,  to  the  greatest  General  in  the  world  1" 


116  MEMOIR    OF 

blue  hills  of  the  "  sunny  South,"  and  with  the  far- 
famed  verdure  of  rural  Albion. 

Our  readers  must  bear  in  rnind  that,  at  the 
period  to  which  our  narrative  refers,  the  various 
domestic  arrangements,  of  which  we  have,  very 
briefly,  endeavored  to  convey  an  idea,  were  com 
paratively  unusual  in  the  American  Colonies; 
and  that  not  only  all  articles  of  luxury,  but  a  very 
great  proportion  of  the  essentials  of  household 
convenience  and  daily  comfort,  were  imported 
from  Europe.  It  will  thus  be  perceived,  that 
what  would  now  scarcely  be  regarded  in  the  light 
of  luxurious  indulgences  were  then  within  the 
reach  only  of  the  most  wealthy.  Even  the  cloth 
ing  of  his  servants,  and  the  ordinary  implements 
of  agriculture,  as  well  as  most  articles  of  food, 
not  the  produce  of  his  own  plantation,  were  twice 
every  year  ordered  by  Colonel  Washington  from 
his  English  agents.* 

*  We  append  a  somewhat  amusing  List  of  articles  imported 
from  England  about  this  time  by  Col.  W.,  which  w°s  gleaned 
from  the  voluminous  "  MEMORANDA"  published  by  the  indispu 
table  authority  to  which  we  have  before  referred.  By  its  pe 
rusal  the  reader  may,  perhaps,  gain  some  incidental  information 
respecting  the  dress  and  domestic  habits  of  Mrs.  Washington, 
at  this  period  of  her  history,  together  with  various  indications 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  117 

We  may  believe  that  the  efficient  and  cheerful 
aid  of  MRS.  WASHINGTON  was  not  wanting  in  the 
regulation  and  adornment  of  the  new  home  to 
which  she  found  herself  transferred. 

We  perceive,  from  the  details  of  his  "  Life," 
that  Col.  Washington  almost  immediately  as- 
sumed  the  pecuniary  responsibilities  devolving 
upon  him  in  consequence  of  his  marriage,  to 
gether  with  the  guardianship  of  Mrs.  Washing 
ton's  two  children — a  duty  which  he  continued 
most  faithfully  and  affectionately  to  discharge 
until  they  no  longer  required  his  care. 

We  find  in  his  Letters  to  his  agents  abroad, 
frequent  references  to  the  business  affairs  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  and  of  John  and  Martha  Custis, 
each  characterized  by  his  usual  precision,  regu 
larity,  and  conscientiousness. 

The  following  passages  from  one  of  these  Let 
ters  will  serve  as  illustrations  of  the  efficient  su 
pervision  exercised  by  this  judicious  friend,  over 
the  interests  of  the  new  members  of  his  family : — 

of  the  degree  of  luxury  and  refinement  characteristic  of  the 
system  of  life  then  prevalent  among  the  more  wealthy  of  the 
Virginia  Planters.  See  NOTE  A,  of  the  Appendix. 


118  MEMOIR   OP 

"  To  ROBERT  GARY  AND  COMPANY,  MERCHANTS 
LONDON. 

"  Mount  Vernon,  20  September,  1759. 

"  Gentlemen, 

"  This  will  make  the  fourth  letter  I  have  writ 
ten  to  you  since  my  marriage  with  Mrs.  Martha 
Custis.  The  two  first  served  to  cover  invoices  of 
such  goods  as  I  wanted,  and  to  advise  you  at  the 
same  time  of  the  change  in  her  affairs,  and  how 
necessary  it  would  be  to  address,  for  the  future, 
all  your  letters,  which  relate  to  the  estate  of  the 
deceased  Colonel  Custis,  to  me. 

******* 

"  I  remark  the  pains  you  take  to  show  the  im 
propriety  of  paying  the  duty  of  the  estate's  to 
bacco.  When  money  is  wanting,  it  cannot  be 
expected  ;  but,  when  a  sum  lies  in  your  hands,  it 
should  certainly  be  applied  that  way,  as  far  as  it 
will  go.  I  likewise  observe  the  difficulties  you 
have  met  with  in  settling  for  the  interest  of  the 
bank  stock ;  but  I  hope  that  is  now  over,  unless 
any  part  or  the  whole  should  require  transferring, 
(when  a  division  of  the  estate  is  made,)  and  then 
timely  notice  will  be  given  ;  but,  until  this  hap 
pens,  it  may  be  received  and  placed  to  the  es 
tate's  credit  in  the  usual  manner. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  119 

"  From  this  time  it  will  be  requisite,  that  you 
should  raise  three  accounts ;  one  for  me,  another 
for  the  estate,  and  a  third  for  Miss  Patty  Custis ; 
or,  if  you  think  it  more  eligible,  (and  I  believe  it 
will  be,)  make  me  debtor  on  my  own  account 
for  John  Parke  Custis,  and  for  Miss  Martha 
Parke  Custis,  as  each  will  have  their  part  of  the 
estate  assigned  them  this  fall,  and  the  whole  will 
remain  under  my  management,  whose  particular 
care  it  shall  be  to  distinguish  always,  either  by 
letter  or  invoice,  for  whom  tobaccos  are  shipped, 
and  for  whose  use  goods  are  imported,  in  order  to 
prevent  mistakes  arising.  The  estate's  credit 
now  in  your  hands,  may  be  applied  towards  an 
swering  the  whole  drafts,  that  have  been  and 
shall  be  made  this  year ;  and  it  must  appear  very 
plain  from  my  former  letters,  as  well  as  from 
what  is  here  said,  how  necessary  it  is  to  send  reg 
ular  accounts  current,  that,  by  comparing  them 
with  the  books  here,  satisfactory  settlements  may, 
from  time  to  time,  be  made  to  our  General  Court." 

But  though  thus  relieved  from  the  irksome  and 
uncongenial  employments  incident  to  her  previous 
mode  of  life,  Mrs.  Washington,  doubtless,  found 
sufficient  occupation  in  the  agreeable  avocations 


120  MEMOIR    OF 

involving  the  health,  happiness,  and  education  of 
her  children ;  and  in  a  general  superintendence 
of  the  affairs  of  her  household,  together  with  the 
many  social  obligations  appertaining  to  her  posi 
tion. 

The  present  situation  of  Mrs.  Washington 
closely  resembled  that  to  which  she  was  accus 
tomed  during  her  former  marriage.  She  was 
now,  as  she  had  previously  been,  the  wife  of  a 
prosperous,  enterprising  Virginia  Planter.  For 
though  still 

"  Bearing  his  blushing  honors  thick  upon  him," 

Col.  Washington,  for  many  successsive  years,  took 
no  other  part  in  public  affairs  than  occasionally  to 
act  as  a  local  magistrate,  or  as  a  Representative 
in  the  Provincial  Legislature,  of  which  he  was  a 
member  for  fifteen  successive  years,  punctually 
attending  each  sitting,  though  there  were,  occa 
sionally,  three  yearly. 

Col.  Washington  first  assumed  his  seat  in  the 
Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  a  short  time  subse 
quent  to  his  marriage ;  and,  if  there  was  needed 
any  public  confirmation  of  the  truth,  that  Mrs. 
Washington  had  united  her  fate  with  that  of  one 
of  the  bravest  and  most  eminent  of  the  sons  of 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  121 

Virginia,  it  was  afforded  by  the  pleasing  incidents 
recorded  in  the  following  paragraph : — 

"  By  a  vote  of  the  House,  the  Speaker,  Mr. 
Robinson,  was  directed  to  return  their  thanks  to 
Colonel  Washington,  on  behalf  of  the  colony,  for 
the  distinguished  military  services  which  he  had 
rendered  to  his  country.  As  soon  as  Colonel 
Washington  took  his  seat,  Mr.  Robinson,  in 
obedience  to  this  order,  and  following  the  impulse 
of  his  own  generous  and  grateful  heart,  dis 
charged  the  duty  with  great  dignity,  but  with 
such  warmth  of  coloring  and  strength  of  expres 
sion,  as  entirely  confounded  the  young  hero. 
He  rose  to  express  his  acknowledgments  for  the 
honor  ;  but  such  was  his  trepidation  and  confu 
sion,  that  he  could  not  give  distinct  utterance  to 
a  single  syllable.  He  blushed,  stammered,  and 
trembled  for  a  second  ;  when  the  Speaker  relieved 
him  by  a  stroke  of  address,  that  would  have  done 
honor  to  Louis  the  Fourteenth  in  his  proudest 
and  happiest  moment.  *  Sit  down,  Mr.  Wash 
ington,'  said  he,  with  a  conciliating  smile ;  '  your 
modesty  equals  your  valor  ;  and  that  surpasses 
the  power  of  any  language  that  I  possess.'  "* 

*  Wirt'8  LIFE  OF  PATRICK  HENET. 


122  MEMOIR    OP 

After  the  commencement  of  her  residence  at 
Mount  Vernon,  Mrs.  Washington  occasionally 
accompanied  her  husband  in  his  various  journeys 
and  in  his  official  visits  at  Williamsburg, — the 
scene  of  her  early  entrance  into  society,  and  of 
many  of  the  pleasing  associations  of  later  years ; 
but  most  of  her  time  was  passed  at  home  in  the 
care  and  education  of  her  children,  and  in  the 
midst  of  other  congenial  pleasures,  occupations, 
and  duties. 

Everywhere  honored  and  beloved,  she  con 
tinued  to  receive  the  affectionate  and  respectful 
regards  of  a  large  circle  of  attached  and  admiring 
friends,  and  to  extend  to  each  the  most  cordial 
and  generous  hospitality.  Fortunately  for  both, 
she  ever  united  with  her  husband  in  a  genial 
enjoyment  of  this  agreeable  and  graceful  cour 
tesy — so  appropriate  to  their  social  position,  and 
so  consistent  with  their  ample  resources.* 

We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Sparks  for  a  some 
what  minute  sketch  of  several  of  the  recipients  of 
the  hospitalities  of  Mount  Vernon,  at  the  time  to 
which  our  narrative  at  present  refers  : — 

*  We  learn  from  excellent  authority,  that  an  accession  of 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  made  to  the  for 
tune  of  CoL  Washington  by  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Custis. 


MARTHA   WASHINGTON.  123 

"Although  Col.  Washington's  pursuits  were 
those  of  a  retired  farmer,  yet  he  was  by  no  means 
secluded  from  social  intercourse  with  persons  of 
intelligence  and  refinement.  During  the  periods 
of  his  attending  the  House  of  Burgesses  at  Wil- 
liamsburg,  he  met  on  terms  of  intimacy  the 
eminent  men  of  Virginia,  who,  in  imitation  of  the 
Governors,  (sometimes  noblemen,  and  always  from 
the  higher  ranks  of  English  society,)  lived  in  a 
style  of  magnificence,  which  has  long  passed 
away,  and  given  place  to  the  republican  simpli 
city  of  modern  times.  He  was  a  frequent  visitor 
at  Annapolis,  the  seat  of  government  of  Mary 
land,  renowned  as  the  resort  of  the  polite,  wealthy, 
and  fashionable.  At  Mount  Vernon  he  returned 
the  civilities  he  had  received,  and  practised,  on  a 
large  and  generous  scale,  the  hospitality  for  which 
the  Southern  planters  have  ever  been  distin 
guished.  When  he  was  at  home,  a  day  seldom 
passed  without  the  company  of  friends  or  stran 
gers  at  the  house.  In  his  diaries  the  names  of 
these  visitors  are  often  mentioned,  and  we  find 
among  them  the  Governors  of  Virginia  and  Mary 
land,  and  nearly  all  the  celebrated  men  of  the 
southern  and  middle  colonies,  who  were  after 
wards  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  the  country." 


124  MEMOIR    OF 

"  One  of  his  nearest  neighbors  was  George  Ma 
son,  of  Gunston  Hall,  a  man  possessing  remark 
able  intellectual  powers,  deeply  conversant  with 
political  science,  and  thoroughly  versed  in  the 
topics  of  dispute  then  existing  between  England 
and  America.  Lord  Fairfax  was  also  a  constant 
guest  at  Mount  Vernon,  who,  although  eccentric 
in  his  habits,  possessed  a  cultivated  mind,  social 
qualities,  and  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  world. 
To  these  may  be  added  a  large  circle  of  relatives 
and  acquaintances,  who  sought  his  society,  and 
to  whom  his  house  was  always  open." 

While  alluding  to  the  different  sources  of  hap 
piness  enjoyed  during  this  period  of  her  life,  by 
the  estimable  Subject  of  our  Memoir,  we  should 
not  omit  particularly  to  mention  the  pure  and  ex 
alted  gratification  springing  from  her  enlightened 
and  systematic  charity,  from  her  conscientious 
attention  to  the  numerous  dependants  immediately 
relying  upon  her  care  for  health  and  comfort, 
and  from  her  habitual  and  devout  attention  to  the 
duties  of  religion.* 

*  Both  Col.  and  Mrs.  Washington  were  at  this  time  com 
municants  in  the  church  of  the  parish  of  Truro,  in  which  the 
family  estate  was  included,  and  upon  the  public  services  of 
which  they  were  constant  attendants.  CoL  W.  was,  also,  long 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  125 

Occupied  by  pleasures,  employments,  and  duties 
of  which  we  have  thus  endeavored  to  give  our 
readers  a  passing  idea,  long  did  this  excellent 
lady  glide  serenely  and  happily  down  the  stream 
of  time. 

As  Miss  Custis,  the  only  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  advanced  towards  womanhood,  the 
tender  maternal  assiduity  that  so  earnestly  sought 
her  improvement  in  all  that  could  tend  to  pro 
mote  her  happiness  and  usefulness  in  after  life, 
was,  if  possible,  still  more  devoted  in  its  mani 
festations. 

And  when,  at  last,  the  child  of  so  many  hopes, 
the  favored  recipient  of  such  accumulated  care 
and  tenderness,  became  the  intelligent  companion 
of  the  mother  to  whose  guidance  she  owed  so 
much,  words  are  inadequate  to  express  that 
mother's  pride  and  joy. 

But  Mrs.  Washington  was  destined  again  to 
behold  the  cup  of  happiness  pass,  scarce  tasted, 
from  her  lips. 

Miss  Custis  had  no  sooner  attained  maturity 
than  she  was  snatched  forever  from  the  presence 
of  her  earthly  friends. 

a  vestryman  of  this  church,  and  a  most  active  and  useful  assist 
ant  in  the  management  of  its  secular  affairs. 


120  MEMOIR    OF 

Who  shall  tell  the  sorrow  of  the  bereaved  ana 
grief-stricken  mother;  the  passionate  lamenta 
tion  of  the  young  brother  who,  hand  in  hand  with 
this  one  gentle  sister,  had  grown  in  health  and 
beauty  through  so  many  happy  years  of  genial 
and  loving  companionship ;  or  the  deep  sadness 
of  the  almost  paternal  guardian  beneath  whose 
fostering  care  her  youthful  mind  had  so  pleasingly 
developed  ? 

The  melancholy  event  that  thus,  suddenly, 
robbed  Mount  Vernon  of  one  of  its  brightest  and 
most  cherished  ornaments,  occurred  in  the  year 
1770. 

Subsequent  to  this  sad  incident,  for  several 
successive  years,  nothing  demanding  particular 
notice  arose  to  vary  the  usual  routine  of  Mrs. 
Washington's  existence. 

The  tender  sympathy  that  calms  and  soothes 
the  wounded  heart,  beyond  all  else  that  earth  can 
give,  united  with  the  dictates  of  religion  to  soften 
regrets  which  they  could  not  remove,  and 

"  Time,  that  wears  out  the  trace  of  deepest  sorrow," 

witnessed  a  gradual  diminution  of  the  pervading 
and  poignant  grief  that  long  shadowed  the  spirit 
of  this  mourning  mother. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  127 

At  length,  the  distant  murmurs  of  the  approach- 
rng  storm  that  served  to  render  more  dear  the 
sanctity  and  the  delights  of  home,  reached  ears 
all  unwilling  to  receive  the  dreadful  tidings  they 
conveyed.  Near,  and  yet  more  near,  advanced 
the  threatening  clouds,  till  even  the  most  incredu 
lous  were  compelled  to  fear  its  fast-coming  fury. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  first  fully  awakened  to  a 
foreboding  sense  of  the  changes  that  awaited  her, 
when  her  husband,  obeying  the  summons  of  pa 
triotism,  hastened  to  join  in  the  momentous  public 
deliberations,  upon  the  results  of  which  hung  con 
sequences  of  so  much  present  and  prospective 
importance.  Then,  indeed,  she  became  only  too 
surely  convinced  that  the  master-spirit  had  de 
parted  from  the  home-paradise,  within  which,  for 
seventeen  successive  years,  there  had  so  seldom 
entered  the  sin  and  suffering  that  make  the  alloy 
of  all  human  happiness  ! 


MEMOIR    OF 


CHAPTER  17. 


Hark !  forth  from  the  abyss,  a  voice  proceeds, 

A  long,  low,  distant  murmur  of  dread  sound, 

Such  as  arises  when  a  Nation  bleeds 

With  some  deep  and  immedicable  wound.  B\rROK. 


Should  Heaven,  yet  unappeased,  refuse  its  aid, 
Disperse  our  hopes,  and  frustrate  our  designs, 
Yet  shall  the  conscience  of  the  great  attempt 
Diffuse  a  brightness  on  our  future  days ; 
Nor  will  his  country's  groans  reproach  Demetrius. 

JOHNSON. 

WHEN  Col.  Washington  left  Mount  Vernon  to 
attend  the  meeting  of  the  first  Congress  at  Phila 
delphia,  Mrs.  Washington  remained  at  home, 
participating,  though  at  a  distance,  the  interest 
and  anxiety  with  which  he  discharged  the  various 
and  peculiarly  responsible  duties  which  the  SOL 
DIER  OF  AMERICA  was  directly  summoned  to  as 
sume  ;  and  watching  with  engrossing  eagerness, 
for  his  reports  of  the  highly  interesting  proceed 
ings  and  deliberations  of  the  solemn  assemblage 
with  which  he  was  associated. 

When,  after  more  than  nine  months  of  sepa 
ration  and  solitude,  she  was  informed  of  her  hus- 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  129 

band's  appointment  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
American  Army,  and  that  "  the  war  had  actually 
begun"  which  must  summon  him  to  immediate 
action,  the  mingled  nature  of  her  emotions  may 
be  easily  conceived. 

The  first  intelligence  of  this  event  was  com 
municated  to  Mrs.  Washington  in  the  following 
Letter,  which  possesses  the  more  interest  as  it  is 
the  only  one  of  the  many  addressed  to  her  from 
the  same  source,  that  has  descended  to  us.* 

"  Philadelphia,  18  June,  1775. 
"  MY  DEAREST  : 

"  I  am  now  set  down  to  write  to  you  on  a  sub 
ject,  which  fills  me  with  inexpressible  concern, 
and  this  concern  is  greatly  aggravated  and  in 
creased,  when  I  reflect  upon  the  uneasiness  .1 
know  it  will  give  you.  It  has  been  determined 
in  Congress,  that  the  whole  army  raised  for  the 
defence  of  the  American  cause  shall  be  put  under 
my  care,  and  that  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  pro 
ceed  immediately  to  Boston  to  take  upon  me  the 
command  of  it. 

*  It  is  known  that  Mrs.  "Washington,  previous  to  her  death, 
destroyed  these  precious  testimonials  of  affection  and  confi 
dence — unwilling,  it  may  be  supposed,  to  allow  other  eyes  th&n 
her  own  to  trace  the  cherished  records. 


130  MEMOIR    OF 

"  You  may  believe  me,  my  dear  Patsy,  when  I 
assure  you,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  that,  so 
far  from  seeking  this  appointment,  I  have  used 
every  endeavor  in  my  power  to  avoid  it,  not  only 
from  my  unwillingness  to  part  with  you  and  the 
family,  but  from  a  consciousness  of  its  being  a 
trust  too  great  for  my  capacity,  and  that  I  should 
enjoy  more  real  happiness  in  one  month  with  you 
at  home,  than  I  have  the  most  distant  prospect 
of  finding  abroad,  if  my  stay  were  to  be  seven 
times  seven  years.  But  as  it  has  been  a  kind  of 
destiny,  that  has  thrown  me  upon  this  service,  1 
shall  hope  that  my  undertaking  it  is  designed  to 
answer  some  good  purpose.  You  might,  and  I 
suppose  did  perceive,  from  the  tenor  of  my  let 
ters,  that  I  was  apprehensive  I  could  not  avoid 
this  appointment,  as  I  did  not  pretend  to  intimate 
when  I  should  return.  That  was  the  case.  It 
was  utterly  out  of  my  power  to  refuse  this  ap 
pointment,  without  exposing  rny  character  to  such 
censures,  as  would  have  reflected  dishonor  upon 
myself,  and  given  pain  to  my  friends.  This,  I 
am  sure,  could  not,  and  ought  not  to  be  pleasing 
to  you,  and  must  have  lessened  me  considerably 
in  my  own  esteem.  I  shall  rely,  therefore,  confi 
dently  on  that  Providence,  which  has  heretofore 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  131 

preserved  and  been  bountiful  to  me,  not  doubting 
but  that  I  shall  return  safe  to  you  in  the  fall.  I 
shall  feel  no  pain  from  the  toil  or  the  danger  of 
the  campaign  ;  my  unhappiness  will  flow  from 
the  uneasiness  I  know  you  will  feel  from  being 
left  alone.  I  therefore  beg  that  you  will  summon 
your  whole  fortitude,  and  pass  your  time  as  agree 
ably  as  possible.  Nothing  will  give  me  so  much 
sincere  satisfaction  as  to  hear  this,  and  to  hear  it 
from  your  own  pen.  My  earnest  and  ardent  de 
sire  is,  that  you  would  pursue  any  plan  that  is 
most  likely  to  produce  content,  and  a  tolerable 
degree  of  tranquillity ;  as  it  must  add  greatly  to 
my  uneasy  feelings  to  hear  that  you  are  dissatis 
fied  or  complaining  at  what  I  really  could  not 
avoid. 

"  As  life  is  always  uncertain,  and  common  pru 
dence  dictates  to  every  man  the  necessity  of  set 
tling  his  temporal  concerns,  while  it  is  in  his 
power,  and  while  the  mind  is  calm  and  undis 
turbed,  I  have,  since  I  came  to  this  place,  (for  I 
had  no  time  to  do  it  before  I  left  home,)  got  Col 
onel  Pendleton  to  draft  a  will  for  me,  by  the  di 
rections  I  gave  him,  which  will  I  now  enclose. 
The  provision  made  for  you  in  case  of  my  death, 
will,  I  hope,  oe  agreeable. 


132  MEMOIR    OF 

"  I  shall  add  nothing  more,  as  1  have  several 
letters  to  write,  but  to  desire  that  you  will  re 
member  me  to  your  friends,  and  to  assure  you 
that  I  am,  with  the  most  unfeigned  regard,  my 
dear  Patsy, 

"  Your  affectionate 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON."* 

The  contents  of  this  letter,  will,  far  more  ef 
fectually  than  any  comments  of  ours,  convey  to 
our  readers  a  just  conception  of  the  considerate 
and  affectionate  respect  always  paid  by  the  illus 
trious  PATER  PATRI.E  to  the  wishes,  feelings,  and 
comfort  of  the  celebrated  Subject  of  our  Memoir. 

Though  there  is  no  allusion  in  this  epistle  to 
the  possibility  of  Mrs.  Washington's  accompany 
ing  the  Commander-in-Chief  in  his  journey  to 
Cambridge,  nor  to  the  prospect  of  even  a  brief 
reunion  after  this,  their  first  protracted  separa 
tion,  yet  it  was  subsequently  determined  that 
they  should,  temporarily  at  least,  be  relieved  from 
the  mutual  pain  of  absence,  as  will  be  explained 
by  the  following  passage  from  a  letter  addressed 
by  Washington  to  his  brother. 

*  Sparks'  WRITINGS  OF  WA.SHINGTOX. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  133 

"  Camp  at  Cambridge,  13  October,  1775. 
" DEAR  BROTHER  : 

********* 
"  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  advice  to  my 
wife,  and  for  your  intention  of  visiting  her. 
Seeing  no  great  prospect  of  returning  to  my 
family  and  friends  this  winter,  I  have  sent  an  in 
vitation  to  Mrs.  Washington  to  come  to  me,  al 
though  I  fear  the  season  is  too  far  advanced  to 
admit  this  with  any  tolerable  degree  of  conveni 
ence,  especially  if  she  should,  when  my  letters 
get  home,  be  in  New  Kent,  as  I  believe  the  case 
will  be.  I  have  laid  before  her  a  statement  of 
the  difficulties,  however,  which  must  attend  the 
journey,  and  left  it  to  her  own  choice."* 

There  is  no  reference  in  this  Letter  to  any  ap 
prehension,  on  the  part  of  her  husband,  of  danger 
to  Mrs.  Washington,  should  she  remain  at  Mount 
Vernon,  but  fears  for  her  safety  were  entertained 
by  many  of  her  friends,  as  we  learn  from  the 
subjoined  extract  from  Sparks'  "  WRITINGS  OF 
WASHINGTON  :" — 

"  As  the  General  could  not  leave  the  army,  he 
had  requested  Mrs.  Washington  to  pass  the  win- 

*  Sparks'  WRITINGS  OF  -WASHINGTON. 


134  MEMOIR    OP 

ter  with  him  at  Cambridge.  It  seems,  that  some 
persons  thought  her  in  danger  at  Mount  Vernon, 
which  stands  on  the  bank  of  the  Potomac  River, 
and  is  accessible  to  armed  ships  of  the  largest 
size.  Lund  Washington  had  written  to  the  Gen 
eral  : — '  Many  people  have  made  a  stir  about 
Mrs.  Washington's  continuing  at  Mount  Vernon, 
but  I  cannot  think  there  is  any  danger.  The 
thought,  I  believe,  originated  in  Alexandria; 
from  thence  it  got  to  Londoun,  and  I  am  told  the 
people  of  Londoun  talk  of  sending  a  guard  to  con 
duct  her  up  to  Berkeley,  with  some  of  their  prin 
cipal  men  to  persuade  her  to  leave  this  place,  and 
accept  their  offer.  Mr.  John  Augustine  Wash 
ington  wrote,  pressing  her  to  leave  Mount  Ver 
non.  She  does  not  believe  herself  in  danger. 
Lord  Dunmore  will  hardly  himself  venture  up  this 
river ;  nor  do  I  believe  he  will  send  on  that  er 
rand.  Surely,  her  old  acquaintance,  the  attorney 
who,  with  his  family,  is  on  board  his  ship,  would 
prevent  his  doing  an  act  of  that  kind.  You  may 
depend  I  will  be  watchful,  and  upon  the  least 
alarm  persuade  her  to  remove.' ' 

In  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  her  husband, 
Mrs.  Washington  hastened  to  make  preparations 
for  joining  him  at  Cambridge  for  the  winter. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  135 

Upon  her  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  on  her  way 
to  the  scene  of  her  new  duties,  she  was  met  and 
escorted  into  the  city  by  Col.  Hancock  and  other 
officers,  and  the  "  Light  Infantry  of  the  Second 
Battalion,  and  the  company  of  Light  Horse,  &c." 

In  addition  to  these  public  demonstrations  of 
respect,  Mrs.  Washington  was  welcomed  by 
every  proof  of  individual  regard  and  personal  af 
fection  on  the  part  of  her  numerous  friends. 
She  immediately  received  an  invitation  to  attend 
a  public  Ball  which  was  in  contemplation,  and 
which  it  was  hoped  the  Ladies  of  the  Commander- 
in  Chief  and  of  Col.  Hancock  would  honor  with 
their  presence. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  fated  thus  early  in  her 
new  career,  to  realize  that  Persecution,  like  his 
twin- compeer,  "loves  a  shining  mark,"  and  that, 
during  the  commotion  of  public  feeling  which  was 
already  beginning  to  surge  and  swell,  she  must 
prepare  to  meet  the  popular  tumult,  manifesta 
tions  of  which  would,  thenceforth,  occasionally 
reach  even  to  her. 

Before  the  evening  appointed  for  the  intended 
fete  arrived,  fears  were  entertained  that  the  anti 
cipated  festivities  would  be  disagreeably  inter 
rupted,  and  that  the  tranquillity  of  the  city  might 


136  MEMOIR    OF 

oe  seriously  disturbed  by  an  occurrence,  under 
ordinary  circumstances  so  unimportant  to  the 
populace. 

Accordingly,  there  was  a  numerous  meeting  of 
the  most  respectable  citizens,  at  Philosophic  Hall, 
"  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  propriety  of 
allowing  the  ball  to  be  given." — After  much 
serious  deliberation,  it  was  finally  concluded  that 
no  such  entertainment  should  take  place,  either 
then,  or  "  in  future,  while  these  troublesome  times 
continued." 

This  meeting  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  a 
committee,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  desire  the 
managers  of  the  intended  Ball  to  relinquish  their 
design,  and,  also,  to  wait  upon  Mrs.  Washington 
with  the  request  that  she  should  decline  any  par 
ticipation  in  the  affair. 

It  was  understood  that  Mrs.  Washington  readi 
ly  assented  to  the  wishes  of  the  gentlemen  who 
called  on  her  on  this  occasion,  assured  them  of 
the  entire  accordance  of  her  feelings  with  their 
own,  in  relation  to  the  matter,  and  politely  ex 
pressed  her  acknowledgments  for  the  kind  at 
tention  that  had  secured  her  against  embarrass 
ment  and  annoyance.* 

*  For  the  quaint  version  of  this  singular  illustration  of  popu- 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  137 

After  enjoying  the  society  of  her  friends  for  a 
few  days,  and,  at  the  same  time,  refreshing  her 
self  with  needful  rest  from  the  fatigue  of  her 
already  long  and  laborious  journey,  Mrs.  Wash 
ington  left  Philadelphia,*  on  her  way  to  New 
England,  "  attended  by  the  Troop  of  Horse,  two 
companies  of  Light  Infantry,  &c.,  &c." 

The  anxious  and  affectionate  care  with  which, 
despite  his  engrossing  public  duties,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  endeavored  to  secure  the  safety 
and  comfort  of  Mrs.  Washington,  during  her 
journey  to  the  American  Camp,  is  proved  by  the 
frequent  references  to  the  subject  contained  in  his 
letters.  Thus,  in  a  letter  to  his  Military  Secre 
tary,  Joseph  Reed,  Esq.,  we  find  the  following 
passage,  under  date  of  the  20th  of  November : — 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  frequent  allusions  to 
Mrs.  Washington.  I  expect  that  she  will  be 
in  Philadelphia  about  the  time  this  letter  may 
reach  you,  on  her  way  hither.  As  she  and  her 
conductor,  who  I  suppose  will  be  Mr.  Custis,  her 
son,  are  perfect  strangers  to  the  road,  the  stages, 
and  the  proper  place  to  cross  Hudson's  River,  by 

lar  feeling  given  in  "  Christopher  Marshall's  Diary  of  1775," 
eee  NOTE  B.,  of  the  Appendix. 
*  27th  November,  1775. 


138  MEMOIR    OF 

all  means  avoiding  New  York,  I  shall  be  much 
obliged  by  your  particular  instructions  and  advice 
to  her.  I  imagine,  as  the  roads  are  bad,  and  the 
weather  cold,  her  stages  must  be  short,  especially 
as  I  presume  her  horses  will  be  fatigued ;  as  when 
they  get  to  Philadelphia,  they  will  have  performed 
a  journey  of  at  least  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
my  express  having  found  her  among  her  friends, 
ner  Williamsburg,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
below  our  house." 

Mrs.  Washington  reached  Cambridge  in  safety 
on  the  llth  December,  having  accomplished  the 
journey  from  Philadelphia  in  about  fifteen  days. 
She  was  soon  comfortably  established  in  the  ele 
gant  mansion  of  one  of  the  wealthy  Tory  families, 
who  deserted  their  residences  upon  the  approach 
of  the  Continental  Army.  The  American  officers, 
generally,  took  possession  of  these  luxurious 
abodes,  thus — and  then  only  during  the  continu 
ance  of  the  War, — "faring  sumptuously  every 
day." 

After  Mrs.  Washington's  arrival  in  the  Ameri 
can  Camp,  the  punctilious  courtesy  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  dictated  the  following  expression 
of  his  sense  of  grateful  obligation  to  the  many 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  139 

friends  whose   kind  attentions  she  had  elicited 
during  her  journey. 

"  To  JOSEPH  REED,  ESQ. 

«  Camp,  December  25th,  1775. 

"DEAR  SIR: 

****** 
"  I  am  so  much  indebted  for  the  civilities  shown 
Mrs.  Washington  on  her  journey  hither,  that  I 
hardly  know  how  to  go  about  to  acknowledge 
them.  Some  of  the  enclosed  (all  of  which  I  beg 
the  favor  of  you  to  put  into  the  post-office,)  are 
directed  to  that  end.  I  shall  be  obliged  to  you 
for  presenting  my  thanks  to  the  commanding 
officers  of  the  two  battalions  of  Philadelphia,  for 
the  honors  done  her  and  me,  as  also  to  any  others 
equally  entitled.  I  very  sincerely  offer  you  the 
compliments  of  the  season,  and  wish  you,  Mrs. 
Reed,  and  your  fireside,  the  happy  return  of  a 
great  many  of  them,  being,  dear  Sir, 
"  Your  most  obedient  and 

"  Affectionate  humble  servant, 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON."* 

It  would  of  course,  be  irrelevant  to  our  subject, 
as  well  as  a  work  of  supererogation,  to  attempt 

*  LIFE  AND  CORRESPONDENCE  OF  PRESIDENT  REED. 


140  MEMOIR    OF 

a  detailed  account  of  the  memorable  siege  and 
eventual  evacuation  of  Boston. 

Mrs.  Washington,  while  participating  in  the 
harassing  embarrassments  that,  almost  directly 
upon  the  assumption  of  his  new  position,  began  to 
demand  the  sympathy  she  always  exhibited  in 
whatever  affected  either  the  interest  or  happiness 
of  her  husband,  was  now  called  upon  to  illustrate 
in  relation  to  him,  as  she  had  ever  done  in  every 
personal  trial  and  affliction,  her  firm  reliance  upon 
the  beneficent  superintendence  of  overruling  Wis 
dom  and  Goodness.  Even  in  this  early  stage 
of  his  eventful  military  career,  her  habitual  cheer 
fulness  and  practical  abilities,  served  in  many 
instances,  essentially  to  aid  and  encourage  the 
Commander-in-Chief. 

The  agreeable  and  estimable  qualities  of  the  wife 
of  the  American  Hero  soon  won  for  her  the  love 
and  veneration  of  her  husband's  companions  in 
arms,  and  her  universal  popularity  among  them, 
occasioned  her  receiving  the  appellation  of  "Lady 
Washington,"  the  well-known  title  by  which  she 
was  always  afterwards  distinguished  in  the  Ameri 
can  Army. 

With  the  departure  of  the  British  Fleet  from 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  141 

the  Harbor  of  Boston,*  Mrs.  Washington  pre 
pared  to  return  to  her  long-deserted  home, — the 
portentous  aspect  of  military  affairs  warning  her 
of  the  impracticability  of  remaining  with  the 
Commander-in-Chief  during  the  season  of  actual 
hostilities. 

In  addition  to  her  parting  from  her  husband, 
this  affectionate  mother  was,  also,  necessitated  to 
nerve  herself  for  a  separation  from  her  son,  who 
was  already  pledged  to  share  the  military  fortunes 
of  his  beloved  step-father. — For  usefulness  and 
honor  she  had  reared  him  to  manhood,  and  to  her 
country  she  now  resigned  this  last  lingering  scion 
of  maternal  hope  and  joy.f 

*  17th  March,  1776. 

f  Whether  or  not  Mr.  Custis  was  already  one  of  the  ndlitary 
family,  strictly  speaking,  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  we  have 
not  the  means  of  determining ;  but  we  know  him,  together  with 
Mrs.  Custis,  to  have  accompanied  his  mother  to  Cambridge,  to 
have  been  at  the  siege  of  Boston,  and  to  have  continued  with 
Washington  throughout  the  war,  though  he  probably  did  not, 
in  consequence  of  his  youth,  thus  early  receive  the  appointment 
of  Aid-de-Camp  to  the  General-in-Chief 


142  MEMOIR  or 


CHAPTER  V. 


Employ 'd  she  employs ; 
****** 
****** 
Locks  the  chest  and  the  wardrobe,  with  lavender  smelling, 
And  the  hum  of  the  spindle  goes  quick  through  the  dwelling 
And  she  hoards  in  the  presses,  well  polished  and  full, 
The  snow  of  the  linen,  the  shine  of  the  wool  ; 
Blsnds  the  sweet  with  the  good,  and  from  care  and  endeavor 
Rests  never ! 


While  duty  measures  the  regard  it  owes 

With  scrupulous  precision  and  nice  justice, 

Love  never  reasons,  but  profusely  gives — 

Gives,  like  a  thoughtless  prodigal,  its  all, 

And  trembles  then,  lest  it  has  done  too  little.  MORE. 


MRS.  WASHINGTON  sought  the  security  and  se 
clusion  of  Mount  Vernon,  not  to  indulge  in  vain 
repinings  at  her  separation  from  its  master  and 
from  her  only  child,  nor  to  yield  herself  up  to  the 
unworthy  dominion  of  useless  fears  for  their  per 
sonal  safety  and  well-being ;  but  to  find  in  active 
and  needful  occupation,  and  in  care  for  the  hap 
piness  of  others,  the  best  guarantee  afforded  by 
circumstances,  for  the  preservation  of  her  mental 
serenity. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  143 

That  knowledge  of  practical  life,  ana  that  sin 
gular  facility  for  adapting  herself  to  avocations 
unusual  to  her  sex,  which  she  had  exhibited  dur 
ing  her  widowhood,  were  now  again  called  into 
exercise  by  the  peculiar  situation  in  which  Mrs 
Washington  found  herself  placed.  She  immedi 
ately  established  a  domestic  system  thoroughly 
adapted  to  the  exigencies  of  the  times,  and  emi 
nently  calculated  as  an  example  most  beneficially 
to  influence  others.  Her  dress, — always  remark 
able  for  its  simplicity, — was  soon  composed  al 
most  entirely  of  home-made  materials,  as  was 
the  clothing  of  her  numerous  domestics. 

We  have  her  own  authority  for  the  fact  that 
"  she  had  a  great  deal  of  domestic  cloth  made  in 
her  house,"  and  that  "  sixteen  spinning-wheels 
were  kept  in  constant  operation"  at  Mount  Ver- 
non.  One  one  occasion,  when  conversing  with 
some  friends  upon  this  and  similar  topics,  she  gave 
the  best  proof  of  her  success  in  domestic  manu 
factures  by  the  exhibition  of  two  of  her  dresses, 
which  were  composed  of  cotton  striped  with  silk, 
and  entirely  home-made.  The  silk  stripes  in  the 
fabric  were  woven  from  "  the  ravellings  of  brown 
silk  stockings  and  old  crimson  damask  chair- 
covers  !" 


144  MEMOIR    OP 

Momentarily  to  anticipate  in  our  narrative ; — 
vvhen  Washington  arrived  at  New  York  to  as 
sume  his  duties  as  first  President  of  the  United 
States,  he  was  attired  in  a  complete  suit  of  home 
spun  cloth. 

By  the  judicious  and  admirable  simplicity  and 
economy  she  systematically  practiced,  this  exem 
plary  Revolutionary  matron  secured  the  means, 
not  only  of  personal  and  domestic  comfort, 
convenience,  and  independence,  but  of  the  bene 
volent  diffusion  of  more  generally  extended 
benefit. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  these 
household  avocations  and  duties  were  sufficient 
to  engross,  or  content,  one  whose  interest  in  the 
progress  of  public  events  was  so  painfully  aug 
mented  by  her  intimate  connection  with  the  mas 
ter-spirit  upon  whose  wisdom  and  guidance  hung 
the  destiny  of  his  country. 

Mrs.  Washington  was,  doubtless,  kept  well  and 
promptly  advised  not  only  of  the  momentous 
events  that  followed  each  other  in  such  rapid  and 
startling  succession,  during  the  ever-memorable 
year  succeeding  the  siege  of  Boston,  but  of  the 
individual  adventures  and  personal  feelings  and 
apprehensions  of  her  husband.  The  assevera- 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  145 

tions  and  fears  expressed  in  the  following  sen 
tences  were,  probably,  often  repeated  in  Wash 
ington's  frequent  letters  to  this  sympathizing  re 
cipient  of  his  confidence  : — "  I  am  wearied  to 
death  with  the  retrograde  motion  of  things,  and  1 
solemnly  protest  that  a  pecuniary  reward  of 
twenty  thousand  pounds  would  not  induce  me 
to  undergo  what  I  do."*  "  In  a  word,  if  every 
nerve  is  not  strained  to  recruit  the  new  army 
with  all  possible  expedition,  the  game  is  nearly 

«?."t 

Only  a  wife  as  devoted  as  Mrs.  Washington, 
can  fully  appreciate  her  emotions  of  indignation 
and  abhorrence,  when  made  acquainted  with  the 
happily-discovered  treachery  that  aimed  at  the 
personal  safety  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  ana 
the  success  of  which  would  have  dealt  a  death^ 
blow  to  the  prosperity  of  the  American  Cause. 
Only  such  a  one  can  realize  the  pride  and  pleas 
ure  that  swelled  in  her  heart,  when  informed  of 
the  glorious  passage  of  the  Delaware,  and  of  the 
encouraging  success  of  which  that  skilful  mance- 

*  Washington  to  his  Brother,  19th  ISTov.  1776 — Sparks'  WAIT 
INGS  OF  WASHINGTON. 

f  Washington  to  his   Brother,    18th   Dec.  1776 — LIFE  AND 

CORRESPONDENCE  OF  PRESIDENT  REED. 
01 


146  MEMOIR   OF 

uvre  was  the  immediate  precursor ;  or  paint  the 
harrowing  anxiety  with  which  she  awaited  fur 
ther  intelligence  respecting  the  movements  of  the 
little  Continental  Army ;  and  her  delight  when 
certain  of  the  temporary  cessation  of  active  hos 
tilities,  and  of  the  consequent  safety  of  those  most 
dear  to  her.  But  why  attempt  to  particularize 
among  incidents,  each  of  which  was  necessarily 
invested  with  such  vital  importance  for  this  ten 
der  Mother,  this  sympathizing  Wife,  this  patriotic 
American  Matron ! 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  147 


CHAPTER  VI. 


To  paint  that  being  to  a  grovelling  mind 

Were  like  portraying  pictures  to  the  blind. 

'Twas  needful  e'en  infectiously  to  feel 

Her  temper's  fond  and  firm  and  gladsome  zealj 

To  share  existence  with  her,  and  to  gain 

Sparks  from  her  love's  electrifying  chain,  , 

Of  that  pure  pride,  which  lessening  to  her  breast 

Life's  ills,  gave  all  its  joys  a  treble  zest, 

Before  the  mind  completely  understood 

That  mighty  truth— how  happy  are  the  good  I         CAMPBELL 


WHEN  the  American  Commander-in-Chief,  af 
ter  ten  months  of  incessant  exertion,  fatigue,  and 
responsibility  that  succeeded  their  parting,  im 
mediately  subsequent  to  the  evacuation  of  Boston, 
had  finally  conducted  his  worn  and  weary  Army 
into  winter  quarters,  at  Morristown,  in  New 
Jersey,*  MRS.  WASHINGTON,  anxious  for  his  health 
and  comfort  as  well  as  for  those  of  her  son,  lost 
no  time  in  repairing  thither  to  join  him  in  the 
Camp  for  the  remainder  of  the  season. 

It  became,  thenceforth,  during  the  continuance 

of  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  Mrs.  Washington's 

*  Jaa 


148  MEMOIR    OF 

habitual  practice  to  pass  her  winters  at  the  Head 
quarters  of  the  American  Army.  It  was,  con 
sequently,  her  wont  to  say,  in  after  life,  that  "  she 
had  heard  the  first  cannon  at  the  opening  and  the 
last  at  the  closing  of  all  the  campaigns  of  the 
Revolution !" 

Many  passages  in  the  private  Letters  of  Wash 
ington  express  his  affectionate  interest  on  the 
subject  of  Mrs.  Washington's  long  and  hazardous 
journeys  at  the  inclement  season  of  the  year 
when  they  were,  necessarily,  undertaken.  We 
find  him  writing  to  ask  advice  as  to  the  best 
means  of  promoting  her  safety  and  comfort,  or 
requesting  assistance  in  effecting  her  transit  from 
Mount  Vernon  to  him,  and  again,  expressing  his 
thanks  for  the  many  civilities  extended  to  her 
on  such  occasions  by  friends  whose  personal  and 
patriotic  devotion,  no  considerations  of  policy  or 
prudence  could  vary  or  diminish. 

Mrs.  Washington's  journeys  to  the  American 
Camp  were  always  performed  in  her  own  carriage 
and  attended  by  her  own  servants.  It  was,  also, 
the  invariable  practice  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief,  to  dispatch  one  of  his  Aids-de-Camp  to 
escort  her  from  Mount  Vernon  to  his  Winter 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  149 

quarters.*  "We  infer,  that  on  some  of  these  oc 
casions,  at  least,  he  adopted  the  additional  pre 
caution  to  dispatch  a  band  of  soldiers,  the  more 
effectually  to  insure  her  protection,  as  we  are 
told  that  in  one  instance,  when  travelling,  Mrs. 
Washington's  chariot  was  attended  by  ten  dra 
goons,  and  that,  at  another  time,  her  departure 
from  Philadelphia  was  accompanied  by  two  mili 
tary  companies. 

The  example  of  the  wife  of  the  American 
General-in-Chief,  in  passing  the  winters  with  her 
husband  in  his  Camp  quarters,  was  generally 
imitated  by  the  wives  of  the  principal  officers  of 
the  Continental  Army;  and  her  arrival  soon 
came  to  be  regarded  as  a  signal  for  the  assem 
blage  of  the  fair  ministering  spirits  whose  pres 
ence  lent  a  charm  even  to  hardship  and  danger. 

The  following  anecdote,  for  which,  as  well  as 
for  some  other  details,  we  are  indebted  to  the  ele 
gant  and  highly  entertaining  volumes  of  Mrs. 
Ellet,  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  unwearying  and 
affectionate  zeal  with  which  Mrs.  Washington 
was  herself  befriended  by  those  towards  whom 

*  As  one  of  the  Military  Family  of  Washington,  we  may  sup 
pose  that  a  duty,  for  many  reasons  so  peculiarly  agreeable  to  him 
was,  at  ieast  occasionally,  delegated  to  CoL  Custia. 


150  MEMOIR    OP 

she  was  so  ready  to  exhibit  the  most  substantial 
proofs  of  her  regard  and  interest : — 

"  There  were  but  two  frame  houses  in  the 
settlement  (where  Washington  had  established 
his  Winter  quarters)  and  neither  had  a  finished 
upper  story.  The  General  was  contented  with 
his  rough  dwelling,  but  wished  to  prepare  for  his 
wife  a  more  retired  and  comfortable  apartment. 
He  sent  for  the  young  mechanic,  who  was  himself 
many  years  afterwards  the  narrator  of  the  inci 
dent,  and  desired  him  and  one  of  his  fellow- 
apprentices  to  fit  up  a  room  in  the  upper  story  for 
the  accommodation  of  Lady  Washington  through 
the  winter.  She  herself  arrived  before  the  work 
was  commenced.  "  She  came,"  says  the  military 
carpenter,  "  into  the  place — a  portly-looking, 
agreeable  woman  of  forty-five,  and  said  to  us : 
'  Now,  young  men,  I  care  for  nothing  but  com 
fort  here ;  and  should  like  you  to  fit  me  up  a 
beaufet  on  one  side  of  the  room,  and  some  shelves 
and  places  for  "hanging  clothes  on  the  other/  We 
went  to  work  with  all  our  might.  Every  morning 
about  eleven,  Mrs.  Washington  came  up  stairs 
with  a  glass  of  spirits  for  each  of  us;  and  after 
she  and  the  General  had  dined,  we  were  called 
down  to  eat  at  their  table.  We  worked  very  hard, 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  151 

nailing  smooth  boards  over  the  rough  and  worm- 
eaten  planks,  and  stopping  the  crevices  in  the 
walls  made  by  time  and  hard  usage.  We  then 
consulted  together  how  we  could  smooth  the  un 
even  floor,  and  take  out,  or  cover  over  some  of  the 
huge  black  knots.  We  studied  to  do  everything 
to  please  so  pleasant  a  lady,  and  to  make  some 
return  in  our  humble  way,  for  the  kindness  of  the 
General.  On  the  fourth  day,  when  Mrs.  Wash 
ington  came  up  to  see  how  we  were  getting  along, 
we  had  finished  the  work,  made  the  shelves,  put 
up  the  pegs  in  the  wall,  built  the  beaufet,  and  con 
verted  the  rough  garret  into  a  comfortable  apart 
ment.  As  she  stood  looking  round,  I  said,  *  Mad 
am,  we  have  endeavored  to  do  the  best  we 
could ;  I  hope  we  have  suited  you/  She  replied, 
smiling,  '  I  am  astonished  !  your  work  would  do 
honor  to  an  old  master,  and  you  are  mere  lads. 
I  am  not  only  satisfied,  but  highly  gratified  by 
what  you  have  done  for  my  comfort/  >; 

Those  who  had  the  happiness  to  be  able  to 
speak  and  write  from  personal  knowledge,  bore 
the  most  unequivocal  and  emphatic  testimony  to 
the  benign  influence  diffused  through  the  Camp 
by  the  welcome  presence  of  "  LADY  WASHING 
TON.  "  Her  cheerfulness  and  equanimity  were 


153  MEMOIR    OP 

happily  and  habitually  displayed,  even  in  the  most 
trying  circumstances,  and  exerted  over  the  minds 
of  all  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  share  her  friend 
ship,  or  participate  in  her  benevolent  cares,  the 
most  beneficial  effect. 

" And  to  know  her  well 

Prolong'd,  exalted,  bound,  enchantment's  spell ; 
For  with  affections  warm,  intense,  refined, 
She  mix'd  such  calm  and  holy  strength  of  mind, 
That,  like  heaven's  image  in  the  smiling  brook, 
Celestial  peace  was  pictured  in  her  look. 
Her's  was  the  brow,  in  trials  unperplex'd, 
That  cheer'd  the  sad,  and  tranquillized  the  vex'd ; 
She  studied  not  the  meanest  to  eclipse, 
And  yet  the  wisest  listened  to  her  lips." — 

She  submitted  with  the  utmost  patience  to  per 
sonal  privation  and  hardship,  and  did  the  honors 
of  her  homely  camp  abode  with  all  the  grace  and 
urbanity  that  had  formerly  distinguished  the  mis 
tress  of  the  White  House  and  of  Mount  Vernon. 
Her  unwavering  religious  faith  and  her  perpetual 
serenity  and  good  humor,  not  only  contributed 
materially  to  the  general  good,  but  were  of  great 
service  to  her  husband  individually.  The  Com- 
mander-in-Chief,  both  by  word  and  action,  gave 
ample  proof  that  the  habits  of  military  life  werA 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  153 

far  from  diminishing  his  affection  for  the  com 
panion  of  more  genial  hours,  or  his  just  apprecia 
tion  of  the  advantages  arising  to  himself  from  her 
society.  As  an  illustration  in  point,  some  of  our 
readers  will  recollect,  that,  when  on  one  occasion, 
while  this  courageous  woman  and  her  fair  com 
panions  still  remained  in  their  martial  homes,  and 
there  was  a  sudden  apprehension  that  "the  enemy" 
were  rapidly  approaching,  Washington  resisted 
the  proposition  made  by  his  military  friends,  to 
send  the  ladies  away  under  an  escort ; — saying, 
"  The  presence  of  our  wives  will  better  encourage 
us  to  a  brave  defence  !" 

"  Lady  Washington's"  time  and  attention  dur 
ing  each  of  the  many  seasons  of  her  residence 
with  the  Army — apart  from  the  dearer  duties  and 
obligations  arising  out  of  her  reunions  with  her 
husband  and  son — were  chiefly  devoted  to  the 
humane  purposes  of  benefiting  and  relieving  the 
suffering  soldiers.  She  visited  the  sick,  minister 
ed  to  their  wants,  and  poured  that  sympathy 
which  is  the  "  oil  of  joy"  into  their  desponding 
hearts.  She  is  described  by  those  who  witnessed 
and  partook  her  efforts,  as  having  been  unwaver 
ing  ii?  her  zeal  and  earnestness  in  this,  her  noble 
and  womanly  purpose.  No  danger  delayed,  no 


154  MEMOIR    Of 

difficulty  or  hardship  prevented  the  fulfilment  of 
these  benevolent  duties.  Blessings  and  prayers 
followed  the  departure  of  this  beneficent  spirit 
from  among  the  recipients  of  her  kindness  and 
bounty,  and  the  most  heartfelt  delight  hailed  hei 
return ! 

Nor  were  the  winters  thus  passed  by  this  esti 
mable  wife  and  mother  wholly  wanting  in  other 
sources  of  merely  personal  enjoyment,  than  those 
arising  from  her  constant  association  with  the 
objects  of  her  deepest  affections.  She  became 
closely  and  confidentially  connected  with  the  noble 
and  heroic  women,  who,  like  herself,  were  pledged 
to  the  service  of  their  country — those  private  de 
fenders  of  the  Cause  of  Liberty,  whose  dearest 
interests,  whose  highest  hopes,  whose  all,  in  short, 
of  earthly  happiness  was  involved  in  the  issue  of 
passing  events. 

The  friendships  thus  fostered  by  propinquity, 
and  cemented  by  strong  congeniality  of  senti 
ment  and  interest,  as  well  as  by  the  bond  of 
common  danger  and  suffering,  in  addition  to  the 
present  sympathy  and  enjoyment  to  which  they 
gave  rise,  were  among  the  most  cherished  pleas 
ures  of  Mrs.  Washington's  subsequent  life. 

When  separated  from  these  valued  friends  by 


MARTHA   WASHINGTON.  155 

the  vicissitudes  of  the  active  campaigns,  in  which 
during  each  season  the  nearest  relatives  of  all 
were  equally  engaged  and  endangered,  it  was  the 
solace  and  gratification  of  each,  by  a  constant 
correspondence,  not  only  to  maintain  their  mu 
tual  remembrance  and  affection,  but  to  uphold 
and  encourage  each  other  in  the  Good  Cause,  by 
a  more  zealous  esprit  du  corps  than  ever  cemented 
the  secret  compact  of 

" a  band  of  brothers  joined  !"* 

It  is  to  be  much  regretted  that  only  detached 
fragments  of  Mrs.  Washington's  correspondence 
have  been  preserved  to  the  present  day.  ,  The 
following  extract  from  an  epistle  addressed  by  her 

*  Our  fair  readers  must  not  suppose  that  "  Lady  "Washing 
ton,"  or  any  other  lady  of  her  day,  enjoyed  during  the  Revolu 
tion,  the  advantages  of  a  regular,  safe,  systematic  Post-Office 
arrangement.  This  was  far  enough  from  being  the  case.  Not 
^infrequently  the  Commander-in-Chief,  in  addition  to  his  other 
multitudinous  avocations,  acted  as  Post-Master  General  for  hia 
female  friends  and  their  lords  or  lovers. — But,  in  spite  of  chance 
accidents,  difficulties,  and  delays,  the  active  minds  that  were 
roused  to  such  high  tension  by  the  powerful  stimulus  of  the 
times,  found  passing  relief  and  amusement  in  this  agreeable 
mode  of  interchanging  sentiment,  feelings,  and  more  particular 
intelligence  in  relation  to  matters  and  occurrences  generally  and 
individually  interesting. 


156  MEMOIR    OF 

to  a  female  friend,  will  serve  to  indicate  the  spirit 
by  which  she  was  habitually  actuated  in  similar 
circumstances : — 

"  It  gives  me  unspeakable  pleasure  to  hear  that 
General  Burgoyne  and  his  army  are  in  safe  quar 
ters  in  your  State.  Would  bountiful  Providence 
aim  a  like  blow  at  General  Howe,  the  measure  of 
my  happiness  would  be  complete !" 

In  addition  to  much  pleasing  intercourse  with 
her  own  sex,  it  was  the  good  fortune  of  this  patriot 
wife  to  enjoy  the  friendship  and  society  of  her 
husband's  most  distinguished  military  companions. 
It  was  her  high  privilege  to  share  in  their  councils, 
and  imbibe  their  exalted  sentiments,  to  participate 
in  their  self-denial,  their  zeal,  their  enthusiasm, 
and  their  courage !  There  were  Steuben,  Ro- 
chambeau,  La  Fayette,  Kosciusko,  and  a  host  of 
heroes  "  to  the  manor  born," — Knox,  and  Greene, 
and  Putnam,  and  Moultrie,  and  Hamilton,  and 
many  others,  of  less  note,  perchance,  but  lofty 
and  glorious  spirits  all,  amidst  whom,  as  one  en 
shrined  by  yet  higher  purpose  and  yet  more 
august  intellect, 

"  in  shape  and  gesture  proudly  eminent, 
Stood  lite  a  tower" 

the  beloved  and  illustrious  PATER  PATRICE  with 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  157 

whom  it  was  her  pride  and  happiness  to  be  united 
by  ties  so  tender,  so  endearing,  and  so  blessed! 

Thus,  then,  though  surrounded  by  discomfort, 
subjected  to  trials,  sorrows,  and  sufferings,  called 
to  witness  and  to  partake  apprehensions,  cares, 
and  responsibilities,  in  their  results  at  once  the 
most  engrossing  and  the  most  important,  it  was 
to  those  portions  of  her  existence  which  were 
passed  in  the  Camp  of  the  heroic  Army  of  the 
Revolution,  that  Mrs.  Washington  could,  in  after 
years,  revert,  as  having  afforded  some  of  the 
happiest  hours  of  her  life  ! — hours  of  enjoyment 
so  pure,  so  exalted,  so  spiritual,  that  there  was 

" less  of  earth  in  them  than  Heaven  I" 


158  MEMOIR    09 


CHAPTER  VII. 


The  field  of  freedom,  faction,  fame,  and  blood : 
Here  a  proud  people's  passions  were  exhaled, 
From  the  first  hour  of  empire  in  the  bud. 


If  the  consciousness  of  perpetual  endeavor  to  advance  our  race 

be  not  alone  happier  than  the  life  of  ease,  let  us  see  what  this  vaunted 
ease  really  is.  Tell  me,  is  it  not  another  name  for  ennui  ?  This  state  of 
quiescence,  this  objectless,  dreamless  torpor,  this  transition  du  lit  a  la 
taWe,  de  la  table  au  lit ;  what  more  dreary  and  monotonous  existence  can 
you  devise  ?  Is  it  pleasure  in  this  inglorious  existence  to  think  that  you 
are  serving  pleasure  ?  Is  it  freedom  to  be  the  slave  of  self? 

PILGRIMS  OF  THE  RHINE. 


WE  resume  our  somewhat  interrupted  narrative 
of  the  events  of  MRS.  WASHINGTON'S  life,  with 
that  of  her  return  to  Mount  Vernon,  in  the  Spring 
of  1777,  after  her  first  thorough  initiation  into 
the  hardships,  privations,  and  sufferings  of  the 
American  Camp,  during  the  winter  passed  by  her 
in  the  log  hut  that  constituted  her  abode  at  Mor- 
ristown. 

This  interval  of  leisure  for  home  duties  and 
avocations,  was,  much  of  it,  passed,  like  that  of 
the  previous  season,  in  arrangements  for  the  well- 


MARTHA   WASHINGTON.  159 

being  of  the  relatives  and  domestics  dependent 
upon  her  care  and  guidance. 

We  gather  from  the  private  Correspondence  of 
Washington,  that  he  maintained,  throughout  his 
protracted  absence  from  home,  the  general  super 
vision  and  direction  of  affairs  relative  to  his  plan 
tation  ;  but  it  will  readily  be  supposed  that  the 
skill  and  judgment  displayed  by  this  eminently- 
practical  woman,  when  she  was  but  little  more 
than  twenty  years  of  age,  in  the  exclusive  man 
agement  of  a  large  landed  estate,  were  now  of 
most  essential  service  in  promoting  the  proper 
management  of  all  out-of-door  matters,  as  well  as 
of  those  of  a  merely  household  character.  The 
gloomy  aspect  of  public  affairs  rendered  the  pros 
pect  of  her  husband's  ability  to  resume  the  per 
sonal  care  of  his  private  affairs  more  and  more 
remote  and  uncertain,  and  Mrs.  Washington  was, 
consequently,  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  so 
regulating  her  family  arrangements  as  to  supply, 
in  a  degree,  at  least,  the  place  of  their  absent 
master  to  those  employed  in  his  service,  or  de 
pendent  upon  his  bounty. 

When  winter  approached,  this  heroic  and  de 
voted  wife  was  prepared  again  to  return  to  the 
companionship  of  her  husband,  and  to  re-assume 


160  MEMOIR    OP 

the  interesting  and  benevolent  offices  she  had 
appropriated  to  herself. 

This  was,  as  our  readers  will  remember,  the 
terrible  winter  of  1777—78,  which  witnessed  the 
frightful  sufferings  of  our  Army  at  Valley  Forge, 
where,  "  while  the  foe  were  luxuriating  in  the 
comfortable  quarters  of  a  populous  and  luxurious 
city,  the  Americans  were  sheltered  in  huts  of 
their  own  fabrication,  and  frequently  suffering  the 
extremity  of  want/'* 

The  following  brief  passage  from  one  of  Mrs. 
Washington's  letters,  written  at  this  time,  con 
tains  a  passing  description  of  her  camp  accom 
modations  : — "  The  General's  apartment  is  very 
small ;  he  has  had  a  log  cabin  built  to  dine  in, 
which  has  made  our  quarters  more  tolerable  than 
they  were  at  first." 

Thus,  then,  did  this  high-souled  and  self-sacri 
ficing  woman  voluntarily  exchange  the  ease,  the 
comfort,  and  the  security  of  her  home,  for  incon- 

*  VALLEY  FORGE  is  six  miles  above  Norristown,  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Schuylkill  river,  and  about  twenty 
miles  from  Philadelphia.  It  is  a  deep,  rugged  hollow,  at  the 
mouth  of  Valley  Creek,  from  which,  and  from  an  ancient  forge 
once  established  there,  it  takes  its  name.  On  the  mountain  sidea 
of  this  wild  spot,  Washington  fixed  the  camp  of  the  American 
Army  during  the  winter  of  1777-78. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  161 

venience,  privation,  and  danger,  that  she  might 
the  better  sympathize  with,  and  minister  to  her 
husband ;  who,  oppressed  by  conflicting  duties, 
difficulties,  and  trials,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a 
mark  for  the  shafts  of  public  animadversion  and 
private  intrigue,  could  turn  trustingly  to  the  faith 
ful  and  tender  friend  who  was  ever  ready  to  share 
his  cares,  his  anxieties,  and  his  toils. 

True  to  the  faith  and  fortitude  of  a  Christian, 
side  by  side  with  her  heroic  husband,  did  she  stem 
alike  the  tide  of  popular  discontent  and  the  tumul 
tuous  commotion  more  immediately  surrounding 
her  in  the  Camp.  Unappalled  by  the  disaffection, 
persecution,  mortality,  and  despair  by  which  she 
was  environed,  she  was  content  to  endure  all, 
brave  all,  save  separation  from  the  cherished  ob 
jects  of  her  warmest  affections. 

Calm,  cheerful,  hopeful,  her  presence  and  her 
example  shed  light  and  blessing  even  upon  the 
deepest  gloom  and  the  most  fearful  horrors  I 

The  last  ensanguined  record  of  this  ever-mem 
orable  winter  was  at  length  traced  upon  the  Page 
of  Time ! 

Well  has  it  been  said,  that,  in  the  moral,  as  In 
the  physical  world,  the  darkest  hour  precedes  that 

of  dawning  light.     The  calumnies  by  which  the 
11 


1(52  MEMOIR    OP 

Commander-in-Chief  had  been  so  ruthlessly  as. 
sailed,  only  served  to  elicit  the  strongest  proofs 
of  public  confidence  and  individual  attachment. 
The  cruel  deprivations  and  sufferings  of  the  Pa 
triot  Soldiers  were  now  materially  relieved. 
Eager  preparation  and  active  discipline  took  the 
place  of  discontent  and  despondency.  And 
bright-eyed  May,  the  fairy-footed  daughter  of  the 
year,  was  a  welcome  harbinger  of  the  inspiring 
intelligence  that  France  had  publicly  recognized 
the  Independence  of  the  American  Republic,  and 
that  her  efficient  aid  would  now  assist  the  strug 
gling  cause  of  Liberty ! 

"  A  day  was  set  apart  for  a  public  celebration 
in  camp.  It  began  in  the  morning  with  religious 
services,  and  a  discourse  to  each  of  the  brigades 
by  one  of  its  chaplains.  Then  followed  military 
parades,  marchings,  and  firings  of  cannon  and  mus 
ketry,  according  to  a  plan  announced  in  the  gen 
eral  orders.  The  appearance  was  brilliant,  and 
the  effect  imposing.  The  whole  ceremony  was 
conducted  with  perfect  regularity,  and  was  closed 
with  an  entertainment,  patriotic  toasts,  music,  and 
other  demonstrations  of  joy." 

The  following  paragraph  from  the  pen  of  an 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  163 

enthusiastic  letter- writer*  graphically  portrays 
the  encouraging  aspect  of  affairs  in  the  Republi 
can  Camp  after  the  reception  of  the  soul-cheering 
news  of  our  National  Alliance  with  the  Land  of 
La  Fayette  : — "  We  have  nothing  here  but  re 
joicing  ;  every  one  looks  happy,  and  seems  proud 
of  the  share  he  has  had  in  humbling  the  pride  of 
Britain,  and  of  establishing  the  name  of  America 
as  a  nation." 

Sir  Henry  Clinton's  evacuation  of  Philadel 
phia  was  the  signal  for  the  breaking  up  of  the 
American  Camp  at  Valley  Forge. 

Mrs.  Washington  once  more  returned  to  the 
scene  of  her  long-interrupted  domestic  felicity, 
again  to  encounter  the  suspense,  the  forebodings, 
the  alternating  hopes  and  fears,  that  must,  inevi 
tably,  fall  to  the  lot  of  one  watching  at  a  distance 
from  the  scene  of  action,  the  changeful  indica 
tions  of  the  political  horizon,  and  far  separated 
from  those  who  rendered  both  her  home  and  her 
country  doubly  dear  to  her  heart. 


Our  brief   and   imperfect   description   of  the 
most   prominent   characteristics   of  the   Winter 

*  Lady  Catherine  Alexander,  writing  from  Valley  Forge  to 
a  friend. 


164  MEMOIR    OP 

passed  at  Valley  Forge  by  the  illustrious  Subject 
of  our  narrative,  will  serve,  in  its  general  fea 
tures,  as  a  type  of  those  of  many  succeeding 
years, 

The  Head-Quarters  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  were  for  several  seasons  established  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  or  in  its  vicinity,  more  or 
less  near  to  New  York,  as  circumstances  permit 
ted.  And  Mrs.  Washington  continued,  through 
out  the  war,  to  make  each  year  a  long  and  hazard 
ous  journey  ere  she  could  rejoin  her  husband  and 
son,  and,  as  often,  voluntarily  to  encounter  many 
consecutive  months  of  fatigue,  exposure,  and  de 
privation. 

The  sprightly  sketch*  that  follows,  not  only 
possesses  much  interest  from  its  furnishing  the 
outline  of  a  day  passed  by  the  writer,  the  Mar 
quis  de  Chastellux,  as  the  guest  of  Gen.  and  Mrs. 
Washington,  in  their  military  home ;  but  also, 
serves,  incidentally,  to  illustrate  the  ingenious  re 
sults  to  which  hospitality  and  necessity  unitedly 
brought  the  domestic  resources  of  camp-life,  under 
the  practical  superintendence  of  "  Lady  Wash 
ington."  It  is  possible  that  the  dwelling  here 

*  We  are  indebted  to  Mrs.  Ellet  for  this  extract, — she  herself 
quotes  it  from  a  MS.  Letter. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  165 

described  is  the  same  referred  to  in  a  previous 
chapter,  as  having  undergone  some  improvements 
and  repairs,  for  the  better  accommodation  of  its 
fair  and  gentle  mistress  : — 

"  The  Head-Quarters  at  Newburgh  consist  of 
a  single  house,  built  in  the  Dutch  fashion,  and 
neither  large  nor  commodious.  The  largest  room 
in  it,  which  General  Washington  has  converted 
into  his  dining-room,  is  tolerably  spacious,  but  it 
has  seven  doors,  and  only  one  window.  The 
chimney  is  against  the  wall ;  so  that  there  is,  in 
fact,  but  one  vent  for  the  smoke,  and  the  fire  is  in 
the  room  itself.  I  found  the  company  assembled 
in  a  small  room,  which  served  as  a  parlor.  At 
nine,  supper  wras  served,  and  when  bed-time  came 
I  found  that  the  chamber  to  which  the  General 
conducted  me,  was  the  very  parlor  spoken  of, 
wherein  he  had  made  them  place  a  camp-bed. 
We  assembled  at  breakfast  the  next  morning  at 
ten,  during  which  interval  my  bed  was  folded 
up  ;  and  my  chamber  became  the  sitting-room  for 
the  whole  afternoon ;  for  American  manners  do 
not  admit  of  a  bed  in  the  room  in  which  com 
pany  is  received,  especially  where  there  are 
women.  The  smallness  of  the  house,  and  the 
inconvenience  to  which  I  saw  that  General 


166  .   MEMOIR    OF 

and  Mrs.  Washington  had  put  themselves  to  re 
ceive  me,  made  me  apprehensive  lest  M.  Ro- 
chambeau  might  arrive  on  the  same  day.  The 
day  I  remained  at  head-quarters  was  passed  either 
at  table  or  in  conversation."* 

As  we  have  before  intimated,  the  wife  of  the 
American  General-in-Chief,  though  individually 
so  unoffending,  was  occasionally  the  subject  of 
manifestations  of  the  height  to  which  party  ani 
mosity  rose  in  those  troubled  times. 

In  one  of  her  annual  removals  from  Mount 
Vernon,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  active  campaign, 
Mrs.  Washington's  usual  visit  at  Philadelphia  was 
marked  by  great  coldness  on  the  part  of  the  ladies 
resident  there,  many  of  whom  forbode  to  call 
upon  her  during  her  stay  in  the  city.f 

But  in  agreeable  contrast  to  treatment  like 
this,  was  the  cordial  hospitality  with  which  this 

*  It  may  be  new  to  some  of  our  readers  that  the  house  desig 
nated  in  this  description  is  Itill  standing  entire  at  Newburgh. 
It  is  plainly  discernible  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer  upon  the 
Hudson,  and  may  be  thus  seen  by  the  passing  traveller.  Long 
may  this  classic  spot  be  sacred  from  the  approach  of  the  De 
stroyer  1 

f  This  indication  of  popular  feeling  probably  grew  out  of  tho 
opposition  made  by  the  Philadelphians  to  Washington's  going 
into  winter  quarters  during  the  inclement  winter  of '77-78. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  167 

patriotic  wife  was  very  frequently  greeted  in  the 
course  of  her  yearly  pilgrimages,  by  those  devo 
ted  friends  of  the  Revolutionary  cause  at  whose 
several  residences  she  was  temporarily  enter 
tained. 

We  are  told  by  a  graceful  annalist,  that,  on 
one  occasion,  when  the  Head-Quarters  of  the  Re 
publican  Commander-in-Chief  were  for  a  short 
time  established  at  the  hospitable  mansion  of  Mrs. 
Barry,  in  New  Jersey,  a  Ball  was  given  by  the 
hostess  to  signalize  the  arrival  of  the  wife  of  her 
illustrious  guest.  When  the  well-known  chariot 
of  "  Lady  Washington,"  with  her  coachman  and 
postilion,  in  their  neat  white  and  scarlet  liveries, 
arrived  at  her  door,  and  Mrs.  Barry  saw  a  female 
alight,  dressed  in  a  simple  "  russet  gown"  with  a 
"  white  handkerchief  neatly  folded  over  her 
neck,"  she  was  surprised  to  perceive  the  Hero- 
Chief  advance  to  receive  her,  and  to  learn  that 
this  unostentatious  stranger  was  none  other  than 
"  Lady  Washington"  !  The  first  salutations  over 
(so  runs  the  history)  the  General  proceeded  to 
make  inquiries  respecting  the  well-being  of  his 
favorite  carriage-horses,  and  concluded  the  pleas 
ures  of  the  day,  by  treading — for  the  first  time  in 
a  very  long  while — a  minuet  at  the  Ball ! 


168  MEMOIR    OP 

This,  at  that  time,  a  very  frequent  and  favor 
ite  mode  of  celebrating  a  joyful  occurrence,  was 
also  adopted  on  the  Anniversary  of  the  National 
Alliance  with  France. 

"The  entertainment  was  given  in  the  Camp 
near  Middlebrook.  On  this  festive  occasion  Mrs. 
Washington,  Mrs.  Greene  and  Mrs.  Knox,  and 
the  wives  of  several  officers  were  present ;  and  a 
circle  of  brilliants,  the  least  of  which  was  moro 
valuable  than  the  stone  which  the  King  of  Portu 
gal  received  from  his  Brazilian  possessions.  The 
ladies  and  gentlemen  from  a  large  circle  around 
the  camp,  attended  the  celebration.  It  was 
opened  by  a  discharge  of  cannon :  and  dinner 
was  served  in  a  building  used  for  an  academy. 
There  was  dancing  in  the  evening,  and  a  grand 
display  of  fire-works.  The  Ball  was  opened  by 
General  Washington.  As  this  was  a  festival 
given  by  men  who  had  not  enriched  themselves 
by  the  war,  the  illuminations  were  on  a  cheap 
scale,  being  entirely  of  their  own  manufacture  ; 
the  seats  were  adorned  with  no  armorial  blazonry, 
but  were  the  work  of  native  and  rather  unskilful 
artisans.  Instead  of  knights  of  different  orders, 
such  as  pageants  like  the  Mischianza  could  boast, 
there  were  hut  hardy  soldiers ;  happy,  however, 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  169 

in  the  consciousness  that  they  had  contributed  to 
bring  about  the  auspicious  event  they  had  met  to 
celebrate."* 

If  sometimes  subjected  to  unmerited  neglect  in 
her  own  country,  indications  were  not  wanting 
of  the  respect  and  regard  entertained  for  Mrs. 
Washington  abroad.  Some  ladies  who  came 
from  New  York  to  the  American  Camp,  at  one 
time,  when  it  was  fixed  near  that  city,  reported 
that  a  vessel  which  had  been  captured  and 
brought  into  port,  had  on  board  a  present  from 
the  Queen  of  France  to  Mrs.  Washington,  which 
was  designed  to  manifest  her  interest  in  that  lady, 
and  to  serve  as  "an  elegant  testimonial  of  her 
approbation  of  the  General's  conduct."  The 
Marquis  de  La  Fayette  was  requested  by  Wash 
ington  to  make  inquiries,  through  the  Marchioness, 
at  Versailles,  respecting  this  somewhat  interesting 
matter,  but  we  are  unable  to  gratify  our  readers 
by  relating  the  result  of  the  investigation. 

Scenes  and  incidents  like  these,  occasionally 
relieved,  for  a  brief  space,  the  weight  of  care 
and  solicitude  that,  despite  her  apparent  cheerful 
ness  and  tranquillity,  long  rested  upon  the  mind 

*  Remembrancer,  VoL  YL 


170  MEMOIR    OP 

of  this  magnanimous  and  patriotic  American 
Matron. 

Mrs.  Washington's  mental  firmness  and  con 
stancy  of  purpose  were,  more  than  once  during 
the  struggle  of  the  Revolution,  severely  tested  by 
the  illness  of  her  husband,  who,  taxed  both  in 
body  and  mind  beyond  the  power  of  human  en 
durance,  was  on  several  occasions  constrained  to 
resign  himself  wholly  to  her  gentle  and  efficacious 
ministrations. 

Occurrences  and  alarms  similar  to  those  which 
form  the  subject  of  the  following  letter,  not  un- 
frequently  united  with  her  apprehensions  respect 
ing  the  health  of  her  husband  to  disturb  the  mental 
quietude  of  this  exemplary  wife  : — 

"Trenton,  April  llth,  1781. 
"DEAR  SIR: 

"  I  was  told  a  few  days  ago  by  a  man  who  had 
made  his  escape  from  New  York,  after  having 
been  thirteen  months  a  prisoner  with  the  enemy, 
that  I  might  depend  upon  it  there  were  four  parties 
out  to  take  or  assassinate  General  Washington, 
your  Excellency,  me,  and  a  fourth  person,  whose 
name  he  did  not  hear,  or  had  forgot.  As  I 
frequently  receive  accounts  of  this  kind  of  expe 
dition  against  myself,  which  sometimes  prove  true 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  171 

and  sometimes  otherwise,  I  paid  no  great  atten 
tion  to  the  man's  report.  I  yesterday  received  a 
letter  from  General  Washington,  dated  the  8th 
instant,  in  which  there  is  this  paragraph  : — '  In 
telligence  has  been  sent  me  by  a  gentleman  living 
near  the  enemy's  lines,  and  who  has  an  opportu 
nity  of  knowing  what  passes  among  them,  that 
four  parties  had  been  sent  out  with  orders  to  take 
or  assassinate  your  Excellency,  Governor  Clinton, 
me,  and  a  fourth  person,  name  not  known/ 

"It  seems,  therefore,  highly  probable  that  the 
gentleman  whose  name  my  informant  did  not  re 
member,  was  Governor  Clinton,  and  the  gentle 
man  whose  name  was  not  transmitted  to  General 
Washington,  is  your  Excellency. 

"  This  confirmation  of  my  intelligence  gives 
the  matter  so  serious  an  aspect,  that  I  think  it  my 
duty  to  advise  your  Excellency  of  what  has  come 
to  my  knowledge,  that  you  may  take  such  pre 
cautions  on  the  occasion  as  appear  to  you  neces 
sary.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  greatest 
esteem,  Dear  Sir,  your  Excellency's 
"  Most  humble,  &c., 

"  W.  LIVINGSTON."* 

*  From  Governor  Livingston  to  President  Reed. — LIFE  AND 

COEUESPONDENCE  OF  PEESIDENT  REED,  YoL  2,  337. 


172  MEMOIR    OP 

In  addition  to  trials  thus  peculiarly  severe,  Mrs. 
Washington's  own  health  was,  not  unfrequently, 
seriously  impaired  by  the  hardships  of  her  mode 
of  life  in  the  camp.  She  had,  during  one  winter, 
the  fortitude  to  submit  to  the  imperative  ordeal 
of  being  inoculated  for  the  small-pox, — the  popu 
lar  course  in  the  then  imperfect  state  of  medical 
science, — rather  than  to  secure  safety  in  distance 
from  the  immediate  scene  of  the  ravages  of  that 
appalling  malady. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Mrs.  Washington, 
at  this  meridian  period  of  her  life,  is  thus  de 
scribed  by  one  of  her  friends  : — "  She  is  about 
forty,  or  five  and  forty,  rather  plump,  but  fresh, 
and  of  an  agreeable  countenance." 

Time  rolled  on.  The  diligent  industry  of  the 
mistress  of  Mount  Vernon,  the  society  of  her 
daughter-in-law*  and  of  the  little  prattlers  who 
now  began  to  claim  her  care  and  affection,  to- 

*  The  marriage  of  Colonel  Custis  occurred  previous  to,  or 
about  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  as  we 
learn  from  Mr.  Sparks,  that  her  daughter-in-law  accompanied 
Mrs.  "Washington  to  Cambridge  in  1775.  Though  we  may  not 
neter  the  sacred  precincts  of  private  life  in  search  of  details 
respecting  this  event,  none  will  question  the  interest  with  which 
it  was  invested  for  so  affectionate  a  mother  as  Mrs.  Wasliingtoa 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  173 

gether  with  her  extensive  correspondence,  and 
the  never-ceasing  duties  of  hospitality,  combined 
to  beguile  the  tedium  of  her  annual  separations 
from  her  almost  idolized  "  chief;"  and  her  winters 
continued  to  pass  as  they  had  invariably  done 
since  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution. 

Faint  streakings  of  the  morning  light  destined 
to  break  into  the  effulgence  of  an  all-glorious  day, 
began  at  length  to  cheer  the  friends  and  defenders 
of  Liberty,  and  the  self-sacrificing  Wife  of  the  im 
mortal  SOLDIER  OF  AMERICA  rejoiced,  with  noble 
exultation,  in  the  anticipated  consummation  of  a 
Nation's  freedom,  achieved  by  him  !  Visions  of 
domestic  felicity  once  more  delighted  her  mental 
gaze — visions  of  a  blissful  reunion  with  each 
member  of  her  now  scattered  family,  at  home,  in 
their  beloved  Mount  Vernon,  not  one  link  want 
ing  in  the  golden  circlet  of  love,  each  face  radiant 
with  happiness,  each  heart  overflowing  with  grat 
itude  and  affection ! 

"  Joy  quickens  her  pulse,  all  her  hardships  seem  o'er, 
And  the  voices  of  lov'd  ones  reply  to  her  call  1" 

Alas,  for  the  vanity  of  all  human  expectations! 
An  impenetrable  pall  was  fated  suddenly  to 
shroud  from  her  eagerly-expectant  eyes  alike  the 


174  MEMOIR    OP 

triumphant  success  of  her  husband,  and  the  dawn 
ing  glory  of  her  country. 

What  were  all  earthly  honors  and  triumphs  to 
a  mother  abruptly  summoned  to  attend  the  last 
hours  of  her  only  remaining  child ! — the  pride 
and  joy  of  her  tender  and  loving  heart,  stricken 
down, — not  victor-crowned  and  dying  for  his 
country  on  the  field  of  fame, — but  the  victim  of 
insidious  disease  ! 

Colonel  Custis  had,  from  the  commencement 
of  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  attached  himself  to 
the  fortunes  of  his  country,  and  participated,  as 
one  of  the  Aids-de-Camp  of  his  step-father,  in  the 
dangers,  efforts,  and  trials  of  that  eventful  con 
test.  While  engaged  in  his  military  duties  during 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  he  was  attacked  by  the 
malignant  fever  then  raging  in  the  British  camp, 
and,  after  enjoying  the  high  satisfaction  of  be 
holding  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  was  im 
mediately  removed,  under  the  superintending  care 
of  a  kind  and  valued  family  friend,  Dr.  Craik,  the 
Chief  of  the  American  Medical  Staff,  to  Eltham, 
in  New  Kent. 

Thither,  when  informed  of  his  alarming  condi 
tion,  Mrs.  Washington  flew  on  the  wings  of  tor 
tured  affection. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  175 

For  the  victorious  American  Chief,  too,  the  cup 
*>f  joyful  thanksgiving  was  deeply  tinctured  with 
bitterness. — "  Providence  left  him  childless  that 
fie  might  be  the  father  of  his  country,"*  but  he 
was  strongly  attached  to  this  his  almost-son,  so 
long  and  so  affectionately  associated  with  him  in 
the  closest  personal  and  official  relations.  He 
was  no  sooner  aware  of  the  increasing  illness  of 
Colonel  Custis,  than  he  "  privately  left  the  camp 
before  Yorktown,  while  it  yet  rang  with  the 
shouts  of  victory,  and,  attended  by  a  single  offi 
cer,  rode  with  all  speed  to  Eltham." 

Day  was  dawning  upon  the  dimmed  eyes  of 
the  agonized  watchers  by  the  bedside  of  the  ex 
piring  sufferer,  when  Dr.  Craik  was  requested  to 
attend  the  Commander-in-Chief,  who  had  just  ar 
rived. 

Washington  inquired  whether  there  was  any 
reason  to  hope  for  Colonel  Custis'  recovery. 
When  the  physician  sadly  intimated  that  all  was 
nearly  over,  the  sorrowing  pater  patrice,  retiring 
to  a  solitary  apartment,  threw  himself  upon  a 
couch,  overpowered  by  the  most  painful  emotion, 

*  This  exquisite  atticism  appeared  originally  in  the  form  ol 
a  toast  given  at  a  public  dinner,  but  the  writer  is  not  so  fortu 
nate  as  to  know  the  name  of  its  felicitous  author. 


176  MEMOIR    OF 

When  death  had  concluded  the  vigil  of  the  an 
guish-stricken  parent,  her  sympathizing  husband 
sought  her  presence ;  and  these  tender  friends 
long  mingled  their  grief  together,  ere  the  Gen 
eral-in-Chief, — nerving  himself  to  imperative  ef 
fort  and  calmness, — returned  to  the  world  that 
claimed  him,  leaving  the  childless  mother  alone 
with  her  God. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  17T 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

_n  Duty's  active  round  each  day  is  past, 

As  if  she  thought  each  day  might  prove  her  last: 

Her  labors  for  devotion  best  prepare, 

And  meek  Devotion  smooths  the  brow  of  care.  MORE. 

Where  is  the  smile  unfeign'd,  the  jovial  welcome, 

Which  cheer'd  the  sad,  beguil'd  the  pilgrim's  pain, 

And  made  Dependency  forget  its  bonds  ? 

Where  is  the  ancient,  hospitable  hall, 

Whose  vaulted  roof  once  rung  with  harmless  mirth, 

Where  every  passing  stranger  was  a  guest, 

And  every  guest  a  friend  ?  MORI. 

AFTER  the  death  of  her  son,  which  was,  as  we 
have  seen,  coeval  with  the  virtual  termination  of 
the  War  of  the  Revolution,*  the  cares  and  af 
fections  of  MRS.  WASHINGTON  were  centered 
more  continuously  than  they  had  been  for  many 
previous  years  at  Mount  Vernon,  which  was  now 
the  home  of  her  widowed  daughter-in-law  and 
of  her  four  little  grand-children,  who  became, 
thenceforth,  the  objects  of  •  her  especial  attention 
and  solicitude. 

It  was  now  the  chief  delight  and  blessing  of  her 
bereaved  and  affectionate  heart  to 

*  Oct.,  1781. 
12 


178  MEMOIR    OP 

* hear  the  gladsome  sound 

Of  infant  voices  sweet, 
The  gush  of  fairy  laughter, 
Or  the  tread  of  tiny  feet." 

In  addition  to  the  dear  and  interesting  com 
panions  who  were  added  permanently  to  the 
members  of  her  household,  Mrs.  Washington 
continued,  as  she  had  hitherto  done,  when  at 
Mount  Vernon  during  the  warmer  months  of  the 
year,  to  gather  round  her  those  other  family 
friends  and  connections  who  had  long  partaken 
her  hospitality.  Sorrow  had  never  the  effect  to 
render  her  selfish ;  nor  did  she  now  forget  what 
was  due  in  this  respect  to  her  husband,  as  well  as 
to  her  own  personal  obligations  and  attachments. 
But  she  was,  of  course,  altogether  disinclined  to 
participate  in  the  public  rejoicings  and  festivities 
in  which  the  Republican  Commander-in-Chief 
was  compelled  by  his  public  station  to  take  part. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  formal  conclusion  of 
the  Treaty  of  Peace,  in  1783,  that  the  multiplied 
domestic  occupations  and  responsibilities  so  long 
resting  upon  Mrs.  Washington,  were  again  shared 
by  her  husband. 

His  public  duties  resigned  at  last,  and  the  pain 
of  the  pathetic  and  sublime  scene  of  his  final 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  179 

parting  with  his  beloved  companions  in  arms  en 
countered  and  passed,  Mrs.  Washington  pro 
ceeded  as  far  as  Annapolis  to  meet  the  retiring 
Cincinnatus,  and  they  returned  together  to  the 
peaceful  retreat  from  which  so  many  revolving 
years,  and  so  many  momentous  occurrences  had 
separated  its  illustrious  master. 

It  was  on  the  eve  of  the  great  Jubilee  of  Chris 
tendom,  that  WASHINGTON,  "  an  older  man," — to 
use  his  own  expressive  w^ords, — "  by  nine  years 
than  when  he  left  them,"  once  more  crossed  his 
own  threshold,  and,  beside  his  own  hearth-stone, 
hailed  the  welcome  joys  of  home !  "  The  scene 
is  at  length  closed,"  said  the  august  Father  of  his 
Country,  "  I  feel  myself  eased  of  a  load  of  public 
care,  and  hope  to  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days 
in  cultivating  the  affections  of  good  men,  and  in 
the  practice  of  domestic  virtues  !v 

We  leave  our  readers  to  imagine  the  glad  en 
thusiasm  that  expressed  the  general  delight  of 
relatives,  friends,  and  dependants,  at  the  long- 
looked-for  arrival  of  this  grand  epoch  in  the  family 
history  of  the  inmates  of  Mount  Vernon ;  and  the 
more  quiet,  but  not  therefore  less  heartfelt,  en- 
joyment  and  gratitude  of  Mrs.  Washington,  on 
that  happy  Christmas  Day,  when  a  double  zest 


180  MEMOIR   OP 

was  lent,  each  to  the  other,  by  the  combined 
pleasures  of  gratified  affection  and  fervent  devo 
tion.  The  soul  of  a  religious  being,  when  thus 
blessed,  must  ever 

" take  Devotion's  wing ; 

And,  like  the  bird  that  hails  the  sun, 
Far  soar  towards  Heaven;" 

and  this  sincere  and  devout  Christian  had  too 
long  and  too  unceasingly  been  accustomed  to 
bear  both  her  joys  and  griefs  to  the  Cross  of  the 
Redeemer,  not  now  to  unite  "  the  cup  of  thanks 
giving"  with  her  "  sorrowful  tears." 

The  following  pleasing  sketch*  of  the  mode  of 
life  contemplated  with  cordial  anticipations  of 
gratification  by  the  Hero  of  America,  upon  his 
return  to  Mount  Vernon,  will  also  serve  as  a  cor 
rect  portraiture  of  the  tastes  and  wishes  of  his 
amiable  home-companion : — 

"  At  length,  my  dear  Marquis,  I  am  become  a 
private  citizen  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  ;  and 
under  the  shadow  of  my  own  vine  and  fig-tree, 
free  from  the  bustle  of  a  camp,  and  the  busy 

*  Extracted  from  a  Letter  written  by  Washington  to  La 
Fayette,  Feb.  1,  1784. — Sparks'  WRITINGS  OF  WASHINGTON,  Vol. 
IX.  17. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  181 

scenes  of  public  life,  I  am  solacing  myself  with 
those  tranquil  enjoyments,  of  which  the  soldier, 
who  is  ever  in  pursuit  of  fame,  the  statesman; 
whose  watchful  days  and  sleepless  nights  are 
spent  in  devising  schemes  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  his  own,  perhaps  the  ruin  of  other  countries,  as 
if  this  globe  was  insufficient  for  us  all,  and  the 
courtier,  who  is  always  watching  the  countenance 
of  his  prince,  in  hopes  of  catching  a  gracious 
smile,  can  have  very  little  conception.  I  have 
not  only  retired  from  all  public  employments,  but 
I  am  retiring  within  myself,  and  shall  be  able  to 
view  the  solitary  walk,  and  tread  the  paths  of 
private  life  with  a  heartfelt  satisfaction.  Envious 
of  none,  I  am  determined  to  be  pleased  with  all ; 
and  this,  my  dear  friend,  being  the  order  of  my 
march,  I  will  move  gently  down  the  stream  of 
life,  until  I  sleep  with  my  fathers." 

Once  thoroughly  re-established  in  the  beloved 
home  of  their  earlier,  and  happy  years,  Genera 
and  Mrs.  Washington  assiduously  turned  their 
attention  to  the  enlargement  of  the  family  man 
sion,  which  still  retained  its  original  size,  and  to 
the  further  improvement  and  adornment  of  the 
adjoining  grounds  and  gardens,  all  of  which  soon 


182  MEMOIR    OP 

gave  token  of  the  taste,  skill,  and  industry  of 
both.* 

"  Having  arranged  and  systematized  his  agri 
cultural  operations,  Washington  now  set  himself 
at  work  in  earnest  to  execute  his  purpose  of 
planting  and  adorning  the  grounds  around  the 
mansion-house.  In  the  direction  of  the  left  wing, 
and  at  a  considerable  distance,  was  a  vegetable 
garden ;  and  on  the  right,  at  an  equal  distance, 
was  another  garden  for  ornamental  shrubs,  plants, 
and  flowers.  Between  these  gardens,  in  front  of 
the  house,  was  a  spacious  lawn,  surrounded  by 
serpentine  walks.  Beyond  the  gardens  and  lawn 
were  the  orchards.  Very  early  in  the  spring,  he 
began  with  the  lawn,  selecting  the  choicest  trees 
from  the  woods  on  his  estate,  and  transferring 
them  to  the  borders  of  the  serpentine  walks,  ar 
ranging  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce 
symmetry  and  beauty  in  the  general  effect,  inter 
mingling  in  just  proportions  forest  trees,  ever 
greens,  and  flowering  shrubs.  He  attended  per 
sonally  to  the  selection,  removal,  and  planting  of 
every  tree  ;  and  his  Diary,  which  is  very  particu 
lar  from  day  to  day  through  the  whole  process, 

*  At  this  time,  the  approach  to  this  celebrated  residence  wan 
through  three  successive  miles  of  uninterrupted  forest. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  183 

proves  that  he  engaged  in  it  with  intense  interest, 
and  anxiously  watched  each  tree  and  shoot  till  it 
showed  signs  of  renewed  growth.  Such  trees  as 
were  not  found  on  his  own  lands,  he  obtained 
from  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  at  length  his 
design  was  completed  according  to  his  wishes. 

"  The  orchards,  gardens,  and  green-houses  were 
next  replenished  with  all  the  varieties  of  rare 
fruit-trees,  vegetables,  shrubs,  and  flowering  plants 
which  he  could  procure.  This  was  less  easily 
accomplished ;  but,  horticulture  being  with  him  a 
favorite  pursuit,  he  continued  during  his  life  to 
make  new  accessions  of  fruits  and  plants,  both 
native  and  exotic." 

Apart  from  these  agreeable  employments,  in 
which  she  occasionally  took  part,  Mrs.  Washing 
ton  found  ample  occupation  in  the  charge  of  a 
large  household,  which  was  constantly  augmented 
by  the  addition  of  numerous  guests. 

The  following  letter  furnishes  pleasing  proof  of 
the  thoughtful  and  sympathizing  kindness  with 
which  her  ever- considerate  husband  sought  to 
relieve  the  mistress  of  Mount  Vernon,  at  least 
in  part,  from  the  onerous  labors  of  housekeep 
ing:— 


184  MEMOIR    OP 

"Mount  Vernon,  7th  Sept.,  1785. 

"Sin: 

"As  no  person  can  judge  better  of  the  qualifi 
cations  necessary  to  constitute  a  good  housekeeper, 
or  household  steward,  than  yourself,  for  a  family 
which  has  a  good  deal  of  company,  and  wishes  to 
entertain  them  in  a  plain,  but  genteel  style,  I  take 
the  liberty  of  asking  you,  if  there  is  any  such  one 
within  your  reach,  whom  you  think  could  be  in 
duced  to  come  to  me  on  reasonable  wages.  I 
would  rather  have  a  man  than  a  woman,  but 
either  will  do,  if  they  can  be  recommended  for  their 
honesty,  sobriety,  and  knowledge  of  their  profes 
sion;  which,  in  one  word,  is  to  relieve  Mrs. 
Washington  from  the  drudgery  of  ordering,  and 
seeing  the  table  properly  covered,  and  things  eco 
nomically  used,  &c.,  &c." 

Despite  the  assistance  she  received  from  others, 
however,  Mrs.  Washington's  employments  and 
duties  were  many  and  important;  and  it  was 
only  by  habitually  systematizing  all  her  arrange 
ments  and  occupations,  that  she  was  enabled  to 
accomplish  a  personal  superintendence  of  the  va 
rious  engagements  of  each  successive  day. 

Continuing  to  rise,  invariably,  with  the  sun,  aa 
had  always  been  her  habit,  she  industriously  de- 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  185 

voted  several  hours  to  her  domestic  affairs,  thus 
securing  leisure  for  social  enjoyments,  and  for 
attention  to  other  avocations,  without  the  neglect 
of  household  duties. 

In  the  well-regulated  mind  of  this  disciplined 
and  exemplary  woman,  each  detail  of  daily  life 
and  habit  found  suitable  attention.  This  was 
true  even  with  reference  to  the  exquisite  neat 
ness  of  her  dress,  which,  though  always  entirely 
simple,  was  regarded  as  a  model  of  refinement  and 
propriety  by  her  female  friends.  Carrying  her 
keys  at  her  side  and  making  frequent  visits  to  the 
various  apartments  connected  with  the  elaborate 
arrangements  of  the  table  and  its  "  aids  and  ap 
pliances,''  the  spotless  purity  of  her  attire  always 
remained  unsullied  by  her  active  participation  in 
the  mysteries  of  each  and  all. 

The  direction  and  government  of  her  servants, 
too,  illustrated  both  the  judgment  and  kindness 
of  this  admirable  mistress.  Prompt,  regular,  and 
industrious  herself,  she  required  like  characteris 
tics  in  those  about  her  ;  but  she  tempered  whole 
some  restraint  by  benevolent  and  sympathizing 
interest  in  whatever  related  to  their  collective  or 
individual  good  ;  and,  in  addition  to  its  many 
other  attractions,  the  home  of  Mft.  Washington 


186  MEMOIR    OP 

was  celebrated  for  the  superior  excellence  of  its 
domestics. 

It  is  recorded  of  this  devout  Christian,  that 
never  during  her  life,  whether  in  prosperity  or  in 
adversity,  did  she  omit  that  daily  self-communion 
and  self-examination,  and  those  private  devotional 
exercises,  which  would  best  prepare  her  for  the 
self-control  and  self-denial  by  which  she  \vas,  for 
more  than  half  a  century,  so  eminently  distin 
guished.  It  was  her  habit  to  retire  to  her  own 
apartment  every  morning  after  breakfast,  there 
to  devote  an  hour  to  solitary  prayer  and  medita 
tion. 

Prominent  among  the  multitudinous  occupa 
tions  of  Mrs.  Washington,  were  those  connected 
with  the  varying  but  incessant  requisitions  of  hos 
pitality.  She  had  always  been  remarked  for  the 
ease  and  elegance  of  her  manners,  and  long 
practice  in  the  graceful  courtesies  of  the  table 
had  served  to  perfect  her  conversational  powers  ; 
so  that  when  again  resuming  these  agreeable  du 
ties  with  her  present  advantages  of  place  and  po 
sition,  she  conducted  the  ceremonies  of  her  am 
ple  and  bountiful  board -with  peculiar  affability 
and  self-possession,  and  led  the  conversation  with 
singular  felicity  to  subjects  most  congenial  to  the 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  187 

tastes,  and  familiar  to  the  minds  of  all.  Each 
varying  theme  was  invested  with  attractiveness 
by  her  amiability  and  good  sense  ;  each  guest 
seemed  the  object  of  her  especial  care  and  atten 
tion.  And  as  her  husband  was  habitually  taci 
turn  and  abstracted,  this  happy  tact,  and  this  gen 
tle  womanly  politeness,  were  particularly  appro 
priate  and  necessary  on  the  part  of  the  hostess 
of  Mount  Vernon. 

It  will  readily  be  supposed  that  retirement  and 
solitude  were  unknown  to  the  inmates  of  the 
Home  of  WASHINGTON. 

It  was  the  pleasure  of  the  now  rusticated 
American  Commander-in-Chief  and  of  "  Lady 
Washington"  to  repay  with  grateful  interest,  those 
tokens  of  friendship  and  politeness  which  had 
been  exhibited  towards  them,  when  both  were, 
in  some  degree,  the  tests  of  unaffected  and  disin 
terested  report  and  regard. 

Her  valued  female  friends, — the  heroic  com 
peers  of  "  Lady  Washington"  through  long,  dark 
years  of  struggle  and  suffering, — renewed  their 
intercourse  with  her  under  auspices  most  pleasing 
to  all  parties.  The  venerated  members  of  the 
first  Congress ;  the  illustrious  and  time-honored 
Cincinnati ;  Washington's  beloved  companions  in 


188  MEMOIR    OP 

arms, — the  faithful,  though  humble  veterans  of 
the  well-fought  fields  of  the  Revolution ;  old 
friends  and  new;  relations,  connections  and  ac 
quaintances,  all  "  came  trooping"  to  this  shrine 
of  Patriotism  and  Worth. 

No  distinguished  foreigner  who  visited  the  new 
Land  of  Freedom,  thought  his  tour  complete 
without  its  including  a  pilgrimage  to  the  home  of 
the  illustrious  modern  Cincinnatus.  Many  sought 
counsel  and  aid  at  his  hands  in  the  prosecution 
of  objects  of  business,  pleasure  or  philanthropy. 
Illustrative  of  this  fact,  there  may  be  found 
among  Washington's  published  Letters,  together 
with  many  others  of  a  similar  nature,  several 
addressed  about  this  time  to  the  celebrated 
Catharine  Maccauley  Graham ;  who,  during  a 
prolonged  visit  at  Mount  Vernon,  endeavored  to 
secure  the  interest  of  her  host  in  her  benevolent, 
though  somewhat  Utopian  schemes  of  usefulness, 
and  with  whom  he  politely  continued,  subse 
quently,  for  some  time  to  correspond. 

But  among  the  numerous  guests  who,  during 
this  period  of  Mrs.  Washington's  life,  claimed 
the  hospitalities  of  Mount  Vernon,  there  were 
few  whose  arrival  was  anticipated  with  more 
pleasure,  or  whose  welcome  was  more  heart-felt, 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  189 

than  that  of  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette.  There 
was,  at  one  time,  a  hope  entertained  by  his  Amer 
ican  friends,  that  this  celebrated  Champion  of 
Liberty  would  be  accompanied  by  the  Marchio 
ness  in  his  visit  to  this  country  soon  after  the 
termination  of  the  War  in  which  he  had  borne 
so  conspicuous  a  part.  With  this  distinguished 
lady  Mrs.  Washington  maintained  the  most  cor 
dial  and  pleasing  correspondence,  upon  that,  and 
kindred  topics. — Nothing  could  surpass  the  affec 
tionate  veneration  with  which  both  these  amiable 
foreigners  regarded  their  beloved  "  Hero."  Their 
eldest  son  and  daughter  bore,  severally,  the  names 
of  Washington  and  of  his  native  State ;  and 
they  long  cherished  the  hope  that  he  would, 
eventually,  be  enabled  to  fulfil  a  half-promise  to 
visit  France  with  Mrs.  Washington.  The  suc 
ceeding  passage  from  one  of  Washington's  Let 
ters  to  Madame  de  La  Fayette,  will  furnish  the 
reasons  that  were  deemed  sufficient  to  prevent 
the  gratification  of  this  hospitable  wish,  and  ex 
emplify  the  cordiality  with  which  the  Marchioness 
was  invited  to  Mount  Vernon. 

"  Mrs.  Washington  is  highly  honored  by  your 
participations,  and  feels  very  sensibly  the  force 
of  your  polite  invitation  to  Paris  ;  but  she  is  too 


Z90  MEMOIR    OF 

far  advanced  in  life,  and  too  much  interested  in 
the  care  of  her  little  progeny  to  cross  the  Atlan 
tic.  This,  my  dear  Marchioness,  (indulge  the 
freedom,)  is  not  the  case  with  you.  You  have 
youth  (and  if  you  should  not  incline  to  bring 
your  children,  can  leave  them  with  all  the  ad 
vantages  of  education,)  and  must  have  a  curios 
ity  to  see  the  country,  young,  rude,  and  unculti 
vated  as  it  is,  for  the  liberties  of  which  your 
husband  has  fought,  bled,  and  acquired  much 
glory,  where  everybody  admires,  everybody  loves 
him.  Come,  then,  let  me  entreat  you,  and  call 
my  cottage  your  home  ;  for  your  own  doors  do 
not  open  to  you  with  more  readiness  than  mine 
would.  You  will  see  the  plain  manner  in  which 
we  live,  and  meet  with  rustic  civility,  and  you 
shall  taste  the  simplicity  of  rural  life.  It  will  di 
versify  the  scene,  and  may  give  a  higher  relish  for 
the  gayeties  of  the  court,  wThen  you  return  to 
Versailles.  In  these  wishes,  and  in  most  respect 
ful  compliments,  Mrs.  Washington  joins  me. 
With  sentiments  of  strong  attachment,  and  very 
great  regard,  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  madam,  &c."* 

*  In  "our  inability  to  present  our  readers  with  specimens  of 
Mrs.  Washington's  letters  to  this  interesting  family,  we  venture 
to  commend  to  their  perusal  two  selections  from  those  ad- 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  191 

In  the  mean  while  La  Fayette  returned,  tem 
porarily,  to  the  country  of  his  adoption,  though 
without  the  Marchioness ;  and  upon  his  arrival 
hastened  directly  to  the  presence  of  his  dearest 
American  friends.  He  passed  a  long-remembered 
fortnight  of  such  happiness  as  rarely  falls  to  the 
lot  of  mortals  with  his  almost  parental  host  and 
hostess  at  Mount  Vernon,  before  commencing 
his  general  tour  to  the  North,  and  returned  again 
for  another  week  of  delightful  intercourse  with 
them,  before  his  departure  for  his  native  land. 

Nor  was  it  by  those  alone  who  were  so  fortu 
nate  as  to  be  able  personally  to  pay  their  respects 
to  Mrs.  Washington,  that  she  was  gratefully  and 
affectionately  remembered  long  after  she  ceased 
to  spend  a  portion  of  each  year  in  intimate  asso 
ciation  with  the  martial  companions  of  the  Re 
publican  Commander-in-Chief.  Thus,  we  find 
proofs  of  the  kindly  recollections  ever  cherished 
for  her  by  the  Count  de  Rochatnbeau  ;  and  rec 
ords  of  the  complimentary  and  oft-recurring  mes 
sages  of  regard  exchanged  with  him  through  her 

dressed,  about  this  time,  by  "Washington  to  Madame  De  La 
Fayette,  in  which  he  represents  himself  as  expressing  the  wishes 
and  sentiments  of  both  Mrs.  Washington  and  himself.  See  NOTB 
C,  of  the  Appendix. 


192  MEMOIR    OF 

husband.  So,  too,  with  Gen.  Knox  and  innume 
rable  others  of  their  mutual  friends. 

We  frequently  discover  traces  of  the  prolonged 
continuance  of  much  pleasing  and  friendly  epis 
tolary  intercourse  not  only  with  these  gentlemen, 
but  with  the  ladies  of  their  several  families — of 
an  interchange  of  the  most  cordial  invitations, 
messages,  &c.,  &c.  Indeed  the  "  Miscellaneous 
Correspondence"  of  Washington  abounds  with 
these  incidental  testimonials  to  the  high  apprecia 
tion  entertained  by  her  friends  of  the  many  and 
exalted  excellencies  of  this  celebrated  lady,  as 
well  as  with  unequivocal  manifestations  of  the 
unchanging  interest  and  affection  with  which  her 
husband  constantly  associated  her  with  himself 
in  all  the  various  enjoyments  and  courtesies  of 
social  and  domestic  life.* 

But  agreeable  and  engrossing  as  were  the  en 
gagements  and  enjoyments  we  have  attempted 
faintly  to  delineate,  they  were  far  from  occupying 
the  attention  of  either  Mrs.  Washington  or  her 
husband  to  the  exclusion  of  more  important  moral 
obligations. 

*  We  are  constrained  to  refer  to  the  Letters  of  Washington 
for  proofs  and  illustrations  of  our  statements  in  relation  to  this 
interesting  subject,  because  little  of  the  correspondence  of  Mr<?. 
Washington  is  extant,  or  at  least,  attainable  for  publication 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  193 

After  the  nine  years  of  Washington's  unbroken 
absence,  and  of  the  very  frequent  and  protracted 
departures  of  Mrs.  Washington  from  home,  and 
in  the  unsettled  state  of  all  private  as  well  as  pub 
lic  affairs,  it  is  not  remarkable  that  both  should 
deem  it  important,  for  the  sake  of  those  dependent 
upon  them,  if  not  for  their  own  personal  advan 
tage,  that  strict  order  and  method  should  be  in 
stituted  in  all  matters  appertaining  to  individual 
and  household  expenditure.  But  whatever  neces 
sity  arose  for  curtailment  in  the  pecuniary  ar 
rangements  of  this  truly  conscientious  and  esti 
mable  pair,  was  made  to  fall,  not  upon  their 
benevolent  and  charitable  resources,  but  upon 
their  powers  of  self-denial  in  matters  of  luxurious 
indulgence  or  personal  convenience.  Thus, 
though  Washington  at  one  time  uncompromis 
ingly  countermanded  an  order  for  silver  plate 
previously  given,  through  the  Marquis  de  La 
Fayette  to  his  Parisian  agents,  when  he  thought, 
upon  a  further  investigation  of  his  affairs,  that  he 
could  not  conveniently  meet  the  necessary  ex 
pense  and  continue  his  other  outlays,  he,  about 
'he  same  time,  gave  the  sum  of  £1000  to  the 
Academy  at  Alexandria,  and  made  the  most  kind 

and  generous  provision  for  an  unfortunate  con- 
13 


194  MEMOIR    OP 

nection  who  sought  his  aid.  He,  also,  during 
many  years,  "  gave  fifty  pounds  annually  for  the 
instruction  of  indigent  children  in  Alexandria; 
and  by  will  he  left  a  legacy  of  four  thousand  dol 
lars,  the  net  income  of  which  was  to  be  used  for 
the  same  benevolent  object  forever." 

To  obligations  like  these,  and  to  objects  and 
designs  of  a  similar  nature,  all  considerations  of 
less  moral  importance  were  systematically  and 
habitually  made  subservient.  United  in  the  most 
faithful,  cheerful,  and  enlightened  regard  for  the 
requisitions  of  philanthropy,  the  necessities  of  de 
pendants  and  the  promptings  of  beneficence,  these 
congenial  and  exalted  spirits  found  more  genuine 
gratification  in  the  unobtrusive  charities  that 
marked  their  mutual  career,  than  all  the  pomp 
and  luxury  of  a  regal  establishment  could  have 
yielded  them. 

Meanwhile  the  progress  of  national  events — so 
important,  so  interesting  to  all — engaged  a  share 
of  the  attention  of  one  long  and  intimately  con 
nected  with  the  most  prominent  actors  in  the 
affairs  of  her  country. 

Mrs.  Washington  partook  her  husband's  high 
pleasure  in  the  early  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution  by  her  native  State ;  and,  though 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  195 

now  seldom  tempted  to  leave  home,  probably  par 
ticipated  with  him  in  the  public  festivities  by 
which  their  friends  in  the  city  of  Alexandria  were 
the  first  to  celebrate  an  occurrence  so  gratifying 
to  the  Patriot  of  Mount  Vernon  ;  who  thus  briefly 
alludes  to  the  expressive  rejoicings  elicited  by  the 
occasion,  in  a  letter  written  immediately  after  his 
return  home  : — "  The  citizens  of  Alexandria  when 
convened  constituted  the  first  public  company  in 
America,  which  had  the  pleasure  of  pouring  a 
libation  to  the  prosperity  of  the  ten  States  that 
had  actually  adopted  the  General  Government."* 

Mrs.  Washington  was  too  true-hearted  a  daugh 
ter  of  the  "  Old  Dominion,"  and  too  enlightened 
in  her  patriotism  and  philanthropy,  not  greatly  to 
rejoice  in  the  gradual  development  of  the  auspi 
cious  events  by  which  the  general  good,  not  of 
her  native  country  alone,  but  of  the  whole  civi 
lized  world,  was  destined  to  be  so  essentially  and 
enduringly  promoted. 

Though  now  considerably  past  fifty  years  of 
age,  and  becoming  somewhat  portly  in  person, 
Mrs.  Washington's  rational,  healthful  habits,  and 
the  ceaseless  influence  of  the  principles  by  which 
her  life  was  habitually  regulated,  enabled  her  still 
*  Letter  to  C.  C.  Pinkney,  Esq.,  Mount  Vernon,  June  28,  1788 


196  MEMOIR    OP 

to  exhibit  undiminished  her  characteristic  activ 
ity,  usefulness  and  cheerfulness.  As  a  wife,  a 
parent,  a  mistress,  a  hostess,  and  a  friend,  she  was 
equally  admirable,  and  a  happy  combination  of 
the  best  qualities  of  each  and  all !  In  short,  Mrs. 
Washington  was  at  this  time,  in  manner,  appear 
ance,  and  character,  the  pleasing  and  graceful 
representative  of  a  class  of  which  the  model  is 
now,  unfortunately,  lost — a  Lady  of  the  Olden 
Time  !  "  She  appeared  to  me,"  recorded  an  ad 
miring  visitor*  who  was,  in  the  absence  of  her 
husband,  the  guest  of  Mrs.  Washington  during 
the  period  to  which  our  narrative  at  present  re 
lates,  "  one  of  the  best  women  in  the  world,  and 
beloved  by  all  about  her.  She  *  *  *  * 
was  surrounded  by  her  grand- children  and  Mrs. 
Custis,  her  son's  widow." 

The  fairy  forms  and  playful  sports  of  the  youth 
ful  inmates  alluded  to  in  this  brief  but  expressive 
eulogium,  were  long  the  admiration  of  every 
visitor  at  Mount  Vernon,  as  they  were  the  pride 
and  delight  of  its  amiable  mistress,  whose  judi 
cious  advice  and  assistance  materially  aided  their 
mother  in  conducting  their  education.  Deeply 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  this  grateful 

*  The  Marquis  de  Chastellux. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  197 

task,  Mrs.  Washington  regularly  devoted  much 
time  and  attention  to  ,hese  favored  recipients  of 
her  love  and  care,  and  her  husband  formally 
adopted  one  of  the  three  little  daughters  of  Mrs. 
Custis  as  his  own. 

With  this  general  and  imperfect  description  of 
the  peaceful  and  congenial  pleasures  and  em 
ployments  of  a  delightful  and  fleeting  portion  of 
the  existence  of  our  heroine, — a  period  replete 
with  exemplifications  of  the  happy  fate  we  have 
before  ascribed  to  her,  that  of  being  ever  sur 
rounded  by  a  glowing  halo  of  affection, — we  re 
lease  our  readers  from  further  attention  to  this 
portion  of  our  subject. 


198  MEMOIR    OP 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Must  I  thus  leave  thee,  Paradise  ?    Thus  leave 

Thee,  native  soil,  these  happy  walks  and  shades 

Fit  haunt  of  gods  ?  MILTOK, 


The  World  is  with  me,  and  its  many  cares, 

Its  woes — its  wants — the  anxious  hopes  and  fears 

That  wait  on  all  terrestrial  affairs— 

The  shades  of  former  and  of  future  years — 

Foreboding  fancies,  and  prophetic  tears, 

Quelling  a  spirit  that  was  once  elate.  HOOD. 


THE  time  too  soon  arrived  when  his  ever-sa 
cred  duty  to  his  country  compelled  the  illustrious 
Farmer  of  Mount  Vernon  to  peril  his  mental  and 
domestic  peace,  as  he  had  formerly  done  his  "  life, 
his  fortune,  and  his  sacred  nonor,"  by  leaving  the 
delightful  retreat  in  which  he  had  earnestly  hoped 
to  secure  future  exemption  from  the  burdensome 
public  duties  to  which  he  had  devoted  so  large  a 
portion  of  his  past  life. 

Mrs.  Washington's  reluctance  to  leave,  for 
gayer  and  more  ceremonious  scenes,  the  quiet 
pleasures  and  congenial  pursuits  from  which  she 
derived  so  much  gratification,  as  well  as  her  sen- 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  199 

timents  in  relation  to  other  equally  interesting 
subjects,  will  be  most  satisfactorily  learned  from 
a  Letter  addressed  by  her,  soon  after  her  arrival 
at  the  Seat  of  Government,  to  an  old  and  confi 
dential  friend  : — 

MRS.  WASHINGTON  TO  MRS.  WARREN. 

"  Your  very  friendly  letter  of  last  month  has 
afforded  me  much  more  satisfaction,  than  all  the 
formal  compliments  and  empty  ceremonies  of 
mere  etiquette  could  possibly  have  done.  I  am 
not  apt  to  forget  the  feelings  which  have  been  in 
spired  by  my  former  society  with  good  acquaint 
ances,  nor  to  be  insensible  to  their  expressions  of 
gratitude  to  the  President ;  for  you  know  me  well 
enough  to  do  me  the  justice  to  believe,  that  I  am 
fond  only  of  what  comes  from  the  heart.  Under 
a  conviction  that  the  demonstrations  of  respect 
and  affection  to  him  originate  in  that  source,  I 
cannot  deny,  that  I  have  taken  some  interest  and 
pleasure  in  them.  The  difficulties  which  pre 
sented  themselves  to  view  upon  his  first  entering 
upon  the  Presidency,  seem  thus  to  be  in  some 
measure  surmounted.  It  is  owing  to  the  kind 
ness  of  our  numerous  friends  in  all  quarters,  that 


200  MEMOIR    OP 

my  new  and  unwished-for  situation  is  not  indeed 
a  burden  to  me.  When  I  was  much  younger, 
I  should  probably  have  enjoyed  the  innocent  gay- 
eties  of  life  as  much  as  most  persons  of  my  age ; 
but  I  had  long  since  placed  all  the  prospects  of 
my  future  worldly  happiness  in  the  still  enjoy 
ments  of  the  fireside  at  Mount  Vernon. 

"  I  little  thought  when  the  war  was  finished, 
that  any  circumstances  could  possibly  happen, 
which  would  call  the  General  into  public  life 
again.  I  had  anticipated,  that  from  that  moment 
we  should  be  suffered  to  grow  old  together  in 
solitude  and  tranquillity.  That  was  the  first  and 
dearest  wish  of  my  heart.  I  will  not,  however, 
contemplate  with  too  much  regret,  disappoint 
ments  that  were  inevitable,  though  his  feelings 
and  my  own  were  in  perfect  unison  with  respect 
to  our  predilection  for  private  life,  yet  I  cannot 
blame  him  for  having  acted  according  to  his 
ideas  of  duty  in  obeying  the  voice  of  his  country. 
The  consciousness  of  having  attempted  to  do  all 
the  good  in  his  power,  and  the  pleasure  of  find 
ing  his  fellow-citizens  so  well  satisfied  with  the 
disinterestedness  of  his  conduct,  will  doubtless  be 
some  compensation  for  the  great  sacrifices  which 
I  know  he  has  made.  Indeed,  on  his  journey 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  201 

from  Mount  Vernon  to  this  place,  in  his  late  tour 
through  the  Eastern  States,  by  every  public  and 
every  private  information  which  has  come  to 
him,  I  am  persuaded  he  has  experienced  nothing 
to  make  him  repent  his  having  acted  from  what 
he  conceives  to  be  a  sense  of  indispensable  duty. 
On  the  contrary,  all  his  sensibility  has  been 
awakened  in  receiving  such  repeated  and  un 
equivocal  proofs  of  sincere  regard  from  his 
countrymen. 

"  With  respect  to  myself,  I  sometimes  think  the 
arrangement  is  not  quite  as  it  ought  to  have  been, 
that  I,  who  had  much  rather  be  at  home,  should 
occupy  a  place,  with  which  a  great  many  younger 
and  gayer  women  would  be  extremely  pleased. 
As  my  grand-children  and  domestic  connections 
make  up  a  great  portion  of  the  felicity  which  I 
looked  for  in  this  world,  I  shall  hardly  be  able  to 
find  any  substitute,  that  will  indemnify  me  for  the 
loss  of  such  endearing  society.  I  do  not  say  this 
because  I  feel  dissatisfied  with  my  present  station, 
for  everybody  and  everything  conspire  to  make  me 
as  contented  as  possible  in  it ;  yet  I  have  learned 
too  much  of  the  vanity  of  human  affairs  to  ex 
pect  felicity  from  the  scenes  of  public  life.  I  am 
still  determined  to  be  cheerful  and  happy  in  what- 


202  MEMOIR    OF 

ever  situation  1  may  be ;  for  I  have  also  learned 
from  experience,  that  the  greater  part  of  our 
happiness  or  misery  depends  on  our  dispositions, 
and  not  on  our  circumstances.  We  carry  the 
seeds  of  the  one  or  the  other  about  with  us  in  oui 
minds,  wherever  we  go. 

I  have  two  of  my  grand-children  with  me,  who 
enjoy  advantages  in  point  of  education,  and  who, 
I  trust,  by  the  goodness  of  Providence,  will  be  a 
great  blessing  to  me.  My  other  two  grand 
children  are  with  their  mother  in  Virginia." — 
New  York,  December  26th,  1789.* 

The  subjoined  passage  from  Mrs.  Warren's 
reply  to  this  highly  engaging  and  expressive  com 
munication,  truly  indicates,  as  she  herself  inti 
mates,  the  feelings  of  the  numerous  friends  of  the 
wife  of  the  first  President : — 

"  Your  observation  may  be  true,  that  many 
younger  and  gayer  ladies  consider  your  situation 
as  enviable ;  yet  I  know  not  one,  who,  by  general 
consent,  \vould  be  more  likely  to  obtain  the  suf 
frages  of  the  sex,  even  were  they  to  canvass  at 
election,  for  this  elevated  station,  than  the  lady 
who  now  holds  the  first  rank  in  the  United 
States." 

*  Published  by  Mr.  Sparks  from  the  Original  MS. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON  203 

Our  readers  will  not  have  failed  to  remark  the 
unostentatious  allusion  contained  in  Mrs.  Wash 
ington's  Letter,  to  the  scenes  and  adventures  of 
the  journey  of  the  President  elect  from  Mount 
Vernon  to  New  York  ;*  and  all  will  remember 
the  peculiar  incidents  of  that  triumphal  progress 
— unrivalled  as  it  is  in  the  lives  of  the  Kings  and 
Conquerors  of  the  World ! 

Every  generous  heart  will  beat  in  unison  with 
the  delightful  emotions  that  must  have  glowed  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Patriot  Wife  while  witnessing 
the  spontaneous  manifestations  of  enthusiastic 
gratitude  and  reverence  with  which  the  immortal 
SAVIOUR  OF  HIS  COUNTRY  was  everywhere  hailed, 
from  the  time  of  his  departure  from  home  to  the 
auspicious  hour  of  his  imposing  and  august  inau 
guration.  The  glorious  ceremonial  at  the  Bridge 
of  Trenton  has  no  parallel  in  all  history  for  its  deep 

*  Some  of  our  readers  may  have  forgotten  that  the  first  or 
ganization  of  the  Federal  Government  (April,  1789)  took  place 
at  New  York.  Philadelphia  was  afterwards  the  seat  of  the 
General  Government.  It  was  not  until  the  year  1791  that  the 
present  location  was  selected  by  WASHINGTON,  to  whom  that 
duty  was  formally  delegated  by  his  countrymen.  Thus,  then, 
Mrs.  Washington  passed  th,e  first  year  of  the  Presidency  of  her 
husband  at  New  York,  the  second  at  Philadelphia,  and  the  re 
maining  six  at  the  present  National  Capitol. 


204  MEMOIR    OP 

pathos  and  moral  sublimity.  It  drew  tears  even 
from  eyes  "  unused  to  the  melting  mood" — those 
of  the  imperturbable  "  Defender  of  the  Mothers" 
and  "Protector  of  the  Daughters"  of  America. 

Words  poorly  avail  to  tell  the  pure  and  ex 
alted  happiness  of  the  WIFE  OF  WASHINGTON, 
when  participating  with  him  in  joys  so  little 
alloyed  by  the  dross  of  earth  !  In  pleasures  like 
these  she  received  a  high  remuneration  for  the 
sacrifice  of  personal  tastes  and  wishes  involved  in 
her  change  of  residence  and  position. 

We  behold  this  estimable,  exemplary,  and 
gifted  woman  assuming  the  obligations  and  re 
sponsibilities  of  her  novel  and  exalted  station, 
with  the  same  ease  and  grace,  the  same  self- 
possession  and  serenity,  the  same  ready  self- 
adaptation  and  feminine  tact  that  had  distin 
guished  her  in  every  previous  phase  of  her  varied 
and  eventful  career. 

When  deciding,  for  the  first  time,  upon  the  ex 
ternal  manifestations,  so  to  speak,  of  public  order 
and  system,  the  authority  of  law  and  the  reality 
of  National  Independence,  policy  and  propriety 
equally  demanded  that  the  visible  tokens  of  each 
should  be  sufficiently  imposing  to  impress  the 
popular  mind  and  exact  respect  from  all  observers. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  205 

Hence  the  prominence  given  to  the  mere  insignia 
and  appendages  of  power. 

In  accordance  with  this  judicious  design,  the 
Mansion  of  the  First  President  of  the  new  Re 
public  was  furnished  with  stately  elegance,  and 
the  daily  routine  of  its  arrangements  was  con 
ducted  with  much  more  elaborate  observance  of 
the  requisitions  of  courtly  etiquette  than  is  now 
required  either  by  popular  taste  or  political  ne 
cessity.* 

*  The  principal  servants  connected  with  the  Presidential  es 
tablishment  wore  the  family  livery — white  with  red  collars 
and  cuffs.  The  chariot  in  which  President  Washington  per 
formed  his  celebrated  tour  through  the  United  States,  was  also 
white.  This  was  probably  the  color  of  the  carriage  in  which 
Mrs.  AVashington  made  visits  of  ceremony  in  New  York  and 
Philadelphia.  The  horses  of  the  President  were  noted  for  their 
great  beauty  and  value.  Those  used  by  Mrs.  Washington  were 
bays.  The  chief  domestics  of  the  household  were  a  steward, 
housekeeper,  porter,  coachman,  and  cook.  The  former  and  lat 
ter  were  personages  distinguished  by  family  tradition.  Frcmcis 
the  steward,  wore,  when  in  his  official  post  at  the  sideboard, 
during  the  state  dinners,  silk  small  clothes,  white  silk  stockings, 
and  his  hair  elaborately  dressed  and  powdered !  It  was  the 
pride  and  business  of  his  life  to  contribute  his  full  share  tow 
ards  sustaining  the  dignity  and  consequence  of  the  family  he 
had  the  honor  to  serve,  through  the  most  ostentatious  displays 
permitted  by  the  restraining  supervision  of  his  methodical  ana 
judicious  master.  Hercules,  the  colored  cook,  was  one  of  the 


206  MEMOIR    OF 

The  Levees  of  Mrs.  Washington  were  held  on 
Friday  evening  of  each  week ;  those  of  the  Presi 
dent  on  each  Tuesday,  from  three  to  four  o'clock, 
The  "  Congressional  dinners"  occurred  on  Thurs 
day. 

The  company,  on  the  occasion  of  Mrs.  Wash 
ington's  Levees,  assembled  at  an  early  hour,  and 
usually  retired  at  a  little  past  ten.*  The  ladies 
were  seated,  and  the  President  was  accustoned  to 
address  some  appropriate  remarks  to  each,  in 
turn,  as  he  passed  round  the  circle.  At  these 
drawing-rooms,  Mrs.  Robert  Morris  always  occu 
pied  the  seat  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Lady  of  the 
Mansion. 

We  have  no  means  of  describing  the  dress 
worn  by  Mrs.  Washington  during  her  receptions; 

most  finished  and  renowned  dandies  of  the  age  in  which  he 
flourished,  as  well  as  a  highly  accomplished  adept  in  the  mys 
teries  of  the  important  art  he  so  long  and  so  diligently  prac 
tised. 

*  The  author  remembers  to  have  somewhere  read,  (though 
upon  what  authority  the  statement  was  based,  she  cannot  now 
recall,)  that,  as  the  usual  hour  of  separation  drew  near,  the  ex 
pressive  air  of  "Home,  sweet  Home,"  not  unfrequently  saluted 
the  ears  of  the  assemblage ;  and  that  Mrs.  Washington  was 
wont  sometimes  quietly  to  remark  that  the  General  retired  at 
half-past  ten  I 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  207 

but  we  know  that  the  etiquette  of  the  day  re 
quired  that  all  gentlemen  who  attended  the  draw 
ing-rooms  of  the  National  Chief  Magistrate  should 
appear  in  full  full  dress ;  and  we  infer  that  there 
was  not  less  ceremony  observed  by  both  ladies 
and  gentlemen  at  the  Levees  of  Mrs.  Washing 
ton.  The  costume  of  the  President  at  his  own 
Levees,  (and  probably  at  those  of  Mrs.  Washington 
also,)  was  a  black  velvet  coat  and  small  clothes, 
with  a  dress  sword,  a  chapeau  de  bras  adorned 
with  a  cockade  and  fringed  with  short  black  fea 
thers,  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  and  orange-colored 
gloves;  his  hair,  of  course,  powdered,  and  "gather 
ed  behind  in  a  silk  bag."  There  were  no  seats 
in  the  apartment  where  the  President  stood,  with 
his  Secretaries  and  other  attendants,  to  receive 
his  guests  on  these  State  Days.  Visitors  ad 
vanced  in  succession,  paid  their  respects  to  the 
Head  of  the  Republic,  and  were  addressed  by  him 
in  return ;  but  the  President  offered  his  hand  to 
no  one. 

At  all  dinners  given  by  the  Republican  Chief 
Magistrate,  the  venerable  Robert  Morris  took  pre 
cedence  of  every  other  guest,  invariably  con 
ducted  Mrs.  Washington,  and  sat  at  her  right 
hand 


208  MEMOIR    OF 

"  On  the  great  National  festivals  of  the  Fourth 
of  July  and  Twenty-second  of  February,  the 
sages  of  the  Revolutionary  Congress  and  the 
officers  of  the  Revolutionary  Army  renewed  their 
acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Washington ;  many  and 
kindly  greetings  took  place,  with  many  a  recol 
lection  of  the  days  of  trial.  The  Cincinnati,  after 
paying  their  respects  to  their  Chief,  were  seen  to 
file  off  towards  the  parlor,  where  "  Lady  Wash 
ington"  was  in  waiting  to  receive  them,  and 
where  Wayne,  and  Mifflin,  and  Dickenson,  and 
Stewart,  and  Moylan,  and  Hartley,  and  a  host  of 
veterans,  were  cordially  welcomed  as  old  friends, 
and  where  many  an  interesting  reminiscence  was 
called  up,  of  the  head-quarters  and  the  "  times  of 
the  Revolution." 

On  the  National  fete  days,  the  commencement 
of  the  Levee  was  announced  by  the  firing  of  a 
salute  from  a  pair  of  twelve-pounders,  stationed 
not  far  distant  from  the  Presidential  Mansion ; 
and  the  ex-Commander-in-Chief  paid  his  former 
companions  in  arms  the  compliment  to  wear  the 
old  Continental  uniform. 

It  was  customary  for  the  gentlemen  officially 
connected  with  the  family  of  the  President  to  re 
ceive  the  ladies  who  came  to  pay  their  respects 


MARTHA   WASHINGTON.  209 

to  Mrs.  Washington,  attend  them  from  their  car 
riages  to  her  presence  ;  but  Washington  himself 
performed  that  service  when  the  venerated 
widows  of  the  beloved  and  lamented  Greene  and 
Montgomery  called  at  the  Presidential  Mansion. 

Visitors  were  not  received  either  by  the  Presi 
dent  or  Mrs.  Washington  on  the  Sabbath.  They 
habitually  attended  divine  service  during  the  day, 
and  in  the  evening  her  husband  read  from  the 
Bible,  or  some  other  devotional  book,  to  Mrs. 
Washington  in  her  own  apartment. 

"  There  was  one  description  of  visitors,  how 
ever,  to  be  found  about  the  first  President's  Man 
sion  on  all  days.  The  old  soldiers  repaired,  as 
they  said,  to  head- quarters,  just  to  inquire  after 
the  health  of  his  Excellency  and  Lady  Washing 
ton.  They  knew  his  Excellency  was,  of  course, 
much  engaged ;  but  they  would  like  to  see  the 
good  lady.  One  had  been  a  soldier  of  the  Life 
Guard ;  another  had  been  on  duty  when  the 
British  threatened  to  surprise  the  head-quarters ; 
a  third  had  witnessed  that  terrible  fellow,  Corn- 
wallis,  surrender  his  sword ;  each  one  had  some 
touching  appeal,  with  which  he  introduced  him 
self  to  the  peaceful  head-quarters  of  the  presido- 

liad.     All  were  "  kindly  bid  to  stay,"  were  con- 
14 


210  MEMOIR    OF 

ducted  to  the  steward's  apartments,  and  refresh- 
ments  set  before  them ;  and  after  receiving  some 
little  token  from  the  lady,  with  her  best  wishes 
for  the  health  and  happiness  of  an  old  soldier, 
they  went  their  ways,  while  blessings  upon  their 
revered  Commander  and  the  good  Lady  Wash 
ington,  were  uttered  by  many  a  war-worn  vete 
ran  of  the  Revolution/'* 

In  her  new  and  interesting  position  as  the  wife 
of  the  first  President  of  the  American  Republic, 
Mrs.  Washington  continued  to  be  distinguished 
by  the  quiet  good  breeding,  dignified  simplicity, 
self-possession,  and  equanimity  for  which  she  had 
long  been  remarkable.  She  received  the  respect, 
the  compliments,  and  the  honors  rendered  to  her 
high  station  without  the  assumption  of  undue  self- 
importance,  and  without  the  affectation  of  inap 
propriate  humility.  She  presided  at  her  elegant 
and  bountiful  table  with  the  same  courteous  ease 
and  kindly  affability  that  formerly  shed  an  almost 

*  Perhaps  some  of  our  readers  may  be  disposed  to  ascribe 
puerility  to  the  minuteness  of  our  details  in  relation  to  the  pe 
culiarities  of  Mrs.  Washington's  present  mode  of  life.  The 
author  hopes,  nevertheless,  to  afford  passing  entertainment  to 
others  whose  taste  for  antiquarian  research  may  be,  perhaps, 
in  some  degree  gratified. 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  211 

inimitable  charm  over  the  hospitalities  of  Mount 
Vernon;  and  continued,  as  before,  to  lead  the 
conversation  on  such  occasions,  to  subjects  suited 
to  the  innocent  conviviality  of  the  hour.* 

Her  beloved  grand-children  continued  to  en 
gage  the  affections  and  enjoy  the  society  ana 
attention  of  Mrs.  Washington,  not  only  when  she 
was  comparatively  at  leisure  in  the  retirement  of 
Mount  Vernon,  but  when  residing  at  the  seat  of 
Government,  and  involved  in  the  formal  routine 
of  public  life.  The  eldest  of  this  little  band  were 
now  rapidly  becoming  interesting  social  com 
panions  for  the  paternal  guide  to  whom  they 
were  so  much  indebted. 

*  Mrs.  "Washington  possessed  too  much  natural  good  sense 
and  too  clear  a  conception  of  propriety  to  converse  publicly 
upon  subjects  involving  her  husband's  political  interests  or  offi 
cial  policy.  Foreign  ambassadors  and  strangers  frequently  at 
tempted  to  draw  her  into  a  discussion  of  political  topics ;  but  it 
was  her  invariable  practice  to  waive  all  discourse  of  this  nature. 
— But,  though  it  had  never,  during  her  long  public  career,  been 
the  habit  of  Mrs.  W.  to  give  open  expression  to  her.  political 
sentiments,  no  want  of  independence  withheld  their  manifesta 
tion  when  circumstances  required  their  promulgation.  In  the 
year  1780  an  Address  was  published  in  the  Philadelphia  news 
papers,  entitled,  "  The  Sentiments  of  an  American  Woman" 
which  was  attributed  to  her,  and  which  was  publicly  read  in 
{he  Churches  throughout  Virginia. 


212  MEMOIR    OF 

This  disinterested  friend  did  rot,  however, 
avail  herself  of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  her 
exalted  position  to  secure  either  personal  aggran 
dizement,  or  the  exclusive  benefit  of  her  own 
family.  The  daughters  of  her  old  and  \vell- 
remembered  Revolutionary  companions,  shared 
with  her  grand-children  in  the  high  social  advan 
tages  it  was  now  in  her  power  to  afford  them ; 
and  all  to  whom  she  was  bound  by  the  cherished 
ties  of  former  years,  received  the  most  convincing 
proofs  of  the  perpetuity  of  a  friendship  that  was 
ever  equally  thoughtful,  active,  and  sincere,  whe 
ther  engendered  by  the  clinging  tendencies  of  a 
youthful  heart,  fostered  amid  the  snow-thatched 
hovels  of  Valley  Forge,  enshrined  beneath  the 
hospitable  roof  of  Mount  Vernon,  or  lending  in 
terest,  grace,  and  warmth  to  the  stately  courtesies 
of  the  National  Capital ! 

During  each  year  of  the  double  Presidential 
term  of  office,  Mrs.  Washington  returned  for  at 
least  a  portion  of  the  summer,  to  Mount  Vernon. 
Indeed  the  health  of  her  husband,  impaired  by  his 
too  arduous  labors,  soon  imperatively  required 
that  temporary  exemption  from  bodily  fatigue  and 
mental  exertion,  which  he  could  there  alone 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  213 

secure,  as  well  as  the  watchful  care  she  could  so 
judiciously  and  affectionately  bestow. 

There  is  no  record  of  Mrs.  Washington's  hav 
ing  accompanied  the  President  in  his  journey  to 
New  England,  during  the  year  following  that  of 
his  election  to  the  Chief  Magistracy ;  nor  of  her 
being  the  companion  of  his  long  and  well-known 
tour  in  the  year  1791.  We,  therefore,  infer  that 
she  preferred  the  repose  and  seclusion  which  she 
could  best  enjoy  in  her  favorite  retreat,  surrounded 
by  the  household  companions  who  might  almost 
be  said  to  impersonate  the  Penates  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

Devoted  to  the  varied  and  important  duties  of 
her  high  station,  eight  successive  years  sped 
away  in  pleasures  and  occupations,  which,  if  not 
those  most  congenial  to  the  conjugal,  maternal, 
and  domestic  tastes  and  affections  of  this  eminent 
American  Matron,  were  yet  crowned  by  the 
grateful  consciousness  of  usefulness,  and  the  high 
approbation  of  that  mental  guide,  to  the  test  of 
whose  scrutinizing  arbitration  she  was  wont  to 
submit  each  thought,  word,  and  action  of  her 
life. 

The  final  departure  of  President  and  Mrs. 
Washington  from  the  place  and  power  through 


214  MEMOIR    OF 

which  they  had  acquired  so  much  personal  honor, 
and  conferred  such  lasting  benefit  upon  their 
country,  was  distinguished  by  every  manifesta 
tion  of  national  and  individual  reverence  and 
gratitude. 

All  mourned  the  retirement  of  the  great  and 
good  Father  of  his  Country,  from  the  immediate 
supervision  to  which  all  might  so  safely  and  im 
plicitly  trust;  and  the  love  and  blessings  of  a 
nation  followed  both  Mrs.  Washington  and  its! 
honored  Chief  to  the  well-earned  tranquillity  of 
private  life. 

Many  were  the  tender  farewells  of  those  who 
were  to  be  forever  officially  separated,  and  many 
the  parting  tokens  of  remembrance  and  affection 
long  preserved  as  the  sacred  mementoes  of  those 
patriarchal  days. 

Mrs.  Washington's  part  in  these  touching 
adieux  will  be  characteristically  illustrated  by  the 
following  pleasing  anecdote,  for  which  we  are 
obliged  to  a  gentleman  who  personally  received  it 
from  the  most  authentic  source  : — 

"  On  leaving  the  Seat  of  Government  after  the 
inauguration  of  his  successor,  Washington  pre 
sented  to  all  his  principal  officers  some  token 
of  regard.  When  Mrs.  Oliver  Wolcott,  the  wife 


MARTHA   WASHINGTON.  215 

of  one  of  these  gentlemen,  and  the  particular 
friend  and  correspondent  of  Miss  Custis,  called 
'  to  take  leave,'  Mrs.  Washington  asked  if  she  did 
not  wish  a  memorial  of  the  General.  '  Yes/  re 
plied  Mrs.  Wolcott,  '  I  should  like  a  lock  of  his 
hair.'  Mrs.  Washington  instantly  took  her  scis 
sors,  and  with  a  happy  smile,  cut  a  large  lock 
from  her  husband's  head,  added  to  it  one  from  her 
own,  and  presented  them  to  her  fair  friend." 

"  N"or  place,  nor  titles,  made  Aspasia's  bliss ; 
****** 
Unmoved  she  saw  the  glittering  trifles  perish, 
And  thought  the  petty  dross  beneath  a  sigh. 
Cheerful  she  followed  to  the  rural  cell ; 
Love  for  her  wealth,  and  her  distinction  Virtue  f* 


216  MEMOIR   OP 


CHAPTER  X, 


And  a  vision  of  happiness  steals  through 
her  rest— 


Cease,  then,  the  funeral  strain !— Lament  no  more, 
Whom,  rife  for  fate,  'twere  impious  to  deplore  I 
He  died  the  death  of  glory.    Cease  to  mourn, 
And  cries  of  grief  to  songs  of  triumph  turn  ! 
Ah,  no ! — Awhile,  ere  reason's  voice  o'erpowers 
The  fond  regret  that  weeps  a  loss  like  ours, 

****** 
Yet,  yet  awhile,  the  natural  tear  may  flow, 
Nor  cold  reflection  chide  the  chastening  woe  I  SCOTT. 


Yes,  there  is  pain  in  this 

Most  passionate  longing  to  o'erreach  the  clay— 
This  exile-thirst,  which  stronger  grows  each  day 
To  take  the  morning-wings  and  flee  away 

To  realms  of  future  bliss.         MRS.  E.  J.  EAMES. 


RELIEVED,  at  last,  from  the  irksomeness  of  elab 
orate  ceremony,  and  the  time-engrossing  duties 
of  a  public  station,  the  illustrious  Subject  of  our 
Memoir  returned  permanently,  in  the  Spring  of 
1797,  to  the  earnestly-coveted  and  peaceful  en 
joyments  of  the  home  from  which  she  had  so  often 
and  so  long  been  exiled. 

Never  had  that  home  seemed  so  worthy  to  be 
graced  by  the  continued  presence  of  its  gentla 


MARTHA   WASHINGTON.  217 

and  admirable  mistress.  The  walks,  the  gardens, 
the  grounds,  the  venerable  mansion,  all  gave  most 
pleasing  token  of  the  refined  taste  and  careful 
supervision  of  the  beneficent  spirits  who  shed 
everywhere  around  them  so  benign  an  influence. 

But,  though  the  effects  of  their  previous  efforts 
were  so  plainly  discernible,  General  and  Mrs. 
Washington  entered,  with  much  zeal  and  interest, 
upon  projects  for  the  further  improvement  and 
embellishment  of  the  intended  asylum  of  their  de 
clining  years. 

And  now  these  faithful  votaries  of  nature,  these 
unaffected  lovers  of  all  the  thousand  nameless 
•joys  that  constitute  the  sacred  charm  of  HOME, 
contemplated  with  exquisite  pleasure  the  calm 
vista  through  which  they  could  at  last  trace  their 
mutual  pathway  along  the  .vale  of  time.  A  tem 
perate  enjoyment  of  the  luxuries  afforded  by 
affluence,  the  affectionate  reverence  of  depend 
ants  and  relations,  the  exalted  pleasures  of  friend 
ship,  the  heavenly  delights  of  benevolence,  the 
joys  of  conjugal  love — all  these  sources  of  hap 
piness  were  theirs ! 

"  And  memory  stood  sidewise,  half  covered  with  flowers, 
Displaying  each  rose,  but  secreting  its  thorn," 

while  recalling  the  many  varying  incidents  of 


218  MEMOIR    OP 

long  years  of  high  duty  and  successful  effort,  of 
well-rewarded  self-sacrifice  and  eventual  tri 
umph! 

Such  were  the  natural  and  appropriate  rewards 
that  crowned  a  life  so  useful,  so  virtuous,  so  ex 
alted  as  that  which  it  has  been  our  desire  to 
sketch  in  these  brief  pages!  Unfettered  by  the 
"  irons  of  circumstance,"  through  each  changing 
scene  of  her  eventful  career,  Mrs.  Washington 
had  been  faithful  to  the  dictates  of  a  noble  na 
ture,  disciplined  and  controlled  by  Christian  prin 
ciple.  Yielding  to  no  selfish,  effeminate  love  of 
the  dolce  far  niente  of  existence,  nor  yet  to  the 
insidious  promptings  of  worldly  ambition,  but 
ever  "  true  to  the  kindred  points  of  Heaven  and 
Home,"  she  had  passed  unfalteringly  on,  scathed 
neither  by  the  fierce  lightnings  of  adversity,  nor 
the  dazzling  splendor  of  place  and  power.  The 
wordless  eloquence  expressed  by  the  serene  maj 
esty  of  her  life,  commends  itself  to  our  hearts 
with  far  more  resistless  pathos  than  all  the  eulo 
gies  panegyrists  coujd  pronounce,  or  poet's  pen ; 
and  we  turn  from  the  contemplation  of  her  char 
acter  with  mingled  emotions  of  admiration,  affec 
tion,  and  humility ! 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  219 

Felicity  such  as  now  blessed  the  venerable 
mistress  of  Mount  Vernon  partook  too  little  of  the 
usual  attributes  of  human  happiness  to  be  per 
petuated  on  earth. 

Two  years  after  his  final  resignation  of  the 
cares  of  state,  the  immortal  Washington  was  sud 
denly  summoned  to  possess,  in  the  revealed  pres 
ence  of  Deity, 

"  Through  boundless  Space  and  countless  Time," 

the  immutable  bliss  of  a  "just  man  made  per 
fect  r 

Mrs.  Washington  never  for  a  moment  left  the 
apartment  of  her  husband  during  the  brief  and 
severe  illness  that  terminated  his  existence. 
Kneeling  by  his  bedside,  she  bowed  her  throb 
bing  brow  upon  the  sacred  records  of  those  Holy 
Promises  and  Consolations  that  could  alone  sustain 
her  spirit  in  this  the  hour  of  her  most  agonizing 
trial. 

"  The  last  effort  of  the  expiring  Washington 
was  worthy  of  the  Roman  fame  of  his  life  and 
character.  He  raised  himself  up,  and  casting  a 
look  of  benignity  on  all  around  him,  as  if  to  thank 
them  for  their  kindly  attentions,  he  composed  his 
limbs,  closed  his  eyes,  and  folding  his  arms  upon 


220  MEMOIR    OF 

his  bosom,  the  Father  of  his  Country  expired, 
gently  as  though  an  infant  died  !"  "  Favored  of 
Heaven,  he  departed  without  exhibiting  the  weak 
ness  of  humanity;  magnanimous  in  death,  the 
darkness  of  the  grave  could  not  obscure  his 
brightness !" 

Fate  had  now  dealt  the  last  deadly  blow  to  the 
earthly  happiness  of  Mrs.  Washington !  Her 
children,  their  father,  the  faithful,  affectionate, 
sympathizing  friend  and  counsellor,  with  whom, 
through  unnumbered  years,  she  had  stood  side  by 
side  in  many  and  grievous  trials,  dangers,  and 
sorrows, — all  were  gone !  The  desolate  survivor 
stood  like  a  lone  sentinel  upon  a  deserted  battle 
field,  regarding  in  mute  despair  the  fatal  destruc 
tion  of  hope,  and  love,  and  joy ! 

"  She  sheds  no  tears,  her  grief's  too  highly  wrought : 
'Tis  speechless  agony  1" 

Long  did  the  heart-stricken  mourner  lingei 
amid  the  familiar  objects  that,  like  the  faces  of 
old  friends,  everywhere  met  her  sorrowful  eyes, 
and  in  the  beloved  presence  of  all  that  was  mortal 
of  the  august  Christian  Philosopher,  to  whose 
memory  the  apartment  where  he  reposed  would 
be  forever  consecrated.  Yielding  at  last  to  the 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  221 

e/itreaties  of  affection,  she  turned  a  long,  soul- 
harrowing  gaze  upon  the  placid  features  of  the 
mighty  dead,  and  then  departing  from  these  hal 
lowed  precincts,  never  more  returned  to  a  spot 
replete  with  associations  at  once  sorrowful  and 
inviolate ! 

The  shock  occasioned  by  the  intelligence  of 
the  death  of  WASHINGTON  "  fell  upon  the  country 
with  the  unexpected  suddenness  of  an  earthquake; 
dismay  and  affliction  suspended  all  business ;  all 
ages  and  classes  united  in  demonstrations  of  re 
spect  and  affection." 

"  By  an  arrangement  with  the  Government, 
Mrs.  Washington  yielded  the  remains  of  the 
Chief  to  the  prayers  of  the  nation,  as  expressed 
through  its  representatives  in  Congress,  condition 
ing  that,  at  her  decease,  her  own  remains  should 
accompany  those  of  her  husband  to  the  Capital. 
The  earthly  relics  of  the  great  PATER  PATRICE 
were  then  consigned  to  the  Family  Tomb  within 
the  grounds  of  Mount  Vernon,  there  to  await  the 
final  disposition  of  his  country."* 

"  When  the  burst  of  grief  which  followed  the 
veath  of  the  Pater  Patrice  had  a  little  subsided, 
disits  of  condolence  to  the  bereaved  lady  were 

*  NATIONAL  PORTRAIT  GALLERY. 


222  MEMOIR    OF 

made  by  the  first,  personages  of  the  land.  The 
President  of  the  United  States,  with  many  other 
distinguished  individuals,  repaired  to  Mount  Ver- 
non,  while  letters,*  addresses,  funeral  orations, 
and  all  the  tokens  of  sorrow  and  respect,  loaded 
the  mails  from  every  quarter  of  the  country,  offer 
ing  the  sublime  tribute  of  a  nation's  mourning  foi 
a  nation's  benefactor."f 

But  grateful,  and  consolatory  as  were  these 
spontaneous  manifestations  of  reverential  regard 
for  the  memory  of  her  illustrious  husband,  Mrs. 
Washington  possessed  a  far  higher  and  dearer 
source  of  confidence  in  his  eternal  happiness  than 
any  earthly  fiat  could  bestow,  in  her  inward  and 
assured  conviction  that  he  had  ever  sought  the 
same  "fountain  of  living  waters,"  from  which  she 
had  herself  drunk  deep  of  heavenly  hope  and  joy  If 

*  A  letter  addressed  to  Mrs.  "Washington  on  this  solemn  oc 
casion  by  the  Earl  of  Bucan,  the  brother  of  Lord  Erskine,  and 
the  distant  relative  of  Washington,  has  recently  been  discovered 
among  the  papers  of  Mrs.  "W.,  by  her  grand-daughter,  Mrs. 
Lawrence  Lewis,  and  given  to  the  public.  Our  readers  will  not 
be  displeased  with  its  insertion  in  this  volume,  though  it  is  char 
acterized  by  some  peculiarities  of  style  and  expression.  See 
NOTE  D,  of  the  Appendix. 

f  NATIONAL  PORTRAIT  GALLERY. 

J  "We  pi  esent  our  readers  witn  a  communication  upon  this 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  223 

The  venerable  Subject  of  our  Memoir  now 
looked  eagerly  and  intently  forward  to  the  termi 
nation  of  that  journey  in  which  she  had  been  pre 
ceded  by  all  who  were  most  dear  to  her.  Devoutly 
resting  her  wounded  spirit  upon  the  soothing 
conviction  that  those  from  whom  she  was  here 
separated  would  then  be  forever  restored  to  her, 
she  strengthened  herself  to  tread  on  in  the  weary 
way  of  life,  with  mournful  but  unshaken  confi 
dence  in  the  blessed  truth  that  "  all  things  work 
together  for  good"  in  the  orderings  of  the  Great 
Disposer  of  events.  Hers  was  was  not  the  cal 
lousness  of  indifference  or  insensibility,  the  ob- 
tuseness  of  a  benighted  stoicism,  or  the  lightness 
of  a  shallow  intellect ;  but  the  undoubting  con 
stancy  of  a  Christian,  whose  faith  in  Him  who 

" giveth,  with  paternal  care, 

Howe'er  unjustly  we  complain, 
To  each  their  necessary  share 
*   Of  j°J  an(l  sorrow,  health  and  pain," 

highly  interesting  subject,  addressed,  at  his  request,  to  Mr. 
Sparks,  by  the  adopted  daughter  of  Washington,  Miss  Custis, 
•who  was  twenty  years  an  inmate  of  the  family  of  her  kind  pro 
tector.  Any  attempt  to  abridge  these  agreeably  -written  para 
graphs  must,  necessarily,  diminish  the  pleasing  simplicity  and 
frankness  that  lend  additional  interest  to  the  details  they  con 
tain. — See  NOTE  E,  of  the  Appendix. 


224  MEMOIR    OP 

no  mortal  suffering  could  disturb,  no  sublunary 
occurrence  could  destroy ! 

But  neither  her  changeless  grief,  nor  her  deep 
interest  in  the  concerns  of  a  future  state  of  ex 
istence,  were  regarded  by  this  exemplary  and 
self-sacrificing  Christian  as  entitling  her  to  ex 
emption  from  vigilant  attention  to  the  requisitions 
of  actual  and  practical  life.  The  many  cares 
assumed  by  the  helpful,  judicious,  kindly  friend 
who  nad  formerly  shared  her  toils  and  duties,  now 
rested  solely  upon  her.  Yet  though  Mrs.  Wash 
ington  was  in  her  sixty-ninth  year,  she  still  Con 
ducted  the  various  affairs  of  her  extensiv  .stab- 
lishment  with  her  previous  diligence,  rej  "iarity, 
and  skill,  and  discharged  the  numerous  ob  gallons 
of  the  hostess  of  Mount  Vernon,  with  wonted 
dignity  and  urbanity.  More  grave,  mo  s  silent, 
she  might  be ;  bul  no  duty  was  forg  >tten  or 
omitted  in  relation  to  domestic  arranger) -enls,  no 
courtesy  neglected  towards  the  innume:  able  vo 
taries  who  sought,  in  sorrowing  pilgrirr  age,  Co 
lumbia's  more  than  Mecca-shrine. 

"  Light  grief  is  fond  of  state  and  courts  compar  sion, 
But  there's  a  dignity  in  cureless  sorrow, 
A  sullen  grandeur,  which  disdains  complaint 

Yet,  despite  this  outward  composure,  this  ha- 


MARTHA    WASHINGTON.  225 

• 

bitual  self-control;  this  hospitable  amenity,  her 
lustreless  and  abstracted  eye,  and  the  one  glow 
ing  spot  in  her  else  blanched  and  faded  cheek, 
betrayed  only  too  plainly  the  ceaseless  struggle 
of  that  noble  spirit ! 

"  She  lived — for  life  may  long  be  borne 
Ere  sorrow  break  its  chain !" 

But  what  was  earth,  what  was  life,  to  this  be 
reaved  and  heart-stricken  mourner ! 

Thus  passed  two  long  years  for  the  worn  and 
weary  earth- wanderer ;  and  then  her  sudden  and 
serious  illness  spread  consternation  to  the  outer 
most  circle  of  the  many  loving  and  sympathizing 
hearts  that  ever  environed  her. 

Dr.  Craik,  the  old  and  highly-esteemed  physi 
cian  of  the  family,  well  aware  of  the  insidious 
mental  foe  that  had  but  too  surely  undermined 
the  strength  of  his  patient,  scarce  spoke  of  hope 
to  the  sorrowing  household,  and  Mrs.  Washing 
ton  was  herself  aware  of  her  approaching  disso 
lution. 

Dying  as  she  had  lived,  mindful  of  duty  to  the 
last,  the  expiring  Christian  summoned  the  several 
members  of  her  family  to  attend  her  death-bed, 

and  addressed  to  her  grand- children,  particularly, 
15 


226          MEMOIR    OP    MARTHA    WASHINGTON. 

the  most  solemn  and  impressive  words  of  exhorta 
tion  and  advice.  She  bore  the  most  unequivocal 
and  triumphant  testimony  to  her  unwavering 
reliance  upon  the  hopes  and  assurances  of  the 
Religion  that  had  been  the  guide  and  support  of 
her  long  and  varied  life,  and  with  that  appro 
priate  and  pathetic  farewell,  this  celebrated 
American  Matron  tranquilly  rendered  back  her 
earthly  existence  to  Him  from  whom  it  was  re 
ceived. 

The  death  of  MRS.  WASHINGTON  occurred  in 
the  year  1801,  and  during  the  seventy-first  year 
of  her  age. 

Her  remains,  in  accordance  with  her  desire, 
were  enclosed  in  a  leaden  coffin,  and  placed  be 
side  those  of  WASHINGTON  in  the  family  tomb  at 
Mount  Vernon. 


APPENDIX 


TO 


MARTHA   WASHINGTON 


APPENDIX  TO  MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


NOTE  A. 

MR.  SPARKS  gives  us  the  original  List,  as  found 
among  Washington's  papers.  For  explanatory 
particulars,  see  SPARKS'  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON, 
Vol.  II.  329.  We,  of  course,  copy  exactly,  from 
Mr.  S. 

"  A  Salmon-colored  Tabby  of  the  enclosed  pat 
tern,  with  satin  flowers,  to  be  made  in  a  sack  and 
coat.  One  Cap,  Handkerchief,  Tucker,  and  Ruf 
fles  to  be  made  of  Brussels  lace,  or  point,  proper 
to  wear  with  the  above  negligee,  to  cost  £20 
One  piece  Bag  Holland  at  6s.  (a  yard.)  2  fine 
flowered  Lawn  Aprons.  2  double  Handkerchiefs. 
1  pair  woman's  white  Silk  Hose.  6  pairs  fine 
Cotton  do.  4  pairs  Thread  do.  1  pair  black 
and  1  pair  white  Satin  Shoes,  of  the  smallest  5s. 
4  pairs  Calamanco,  do.  1  fashionable  Hat,  or 


230  APPENDIX. 

Bonnet.  6  pairs  woman's  best  Kid  Gloves.  8 
pairs  ditto  mits.  1-2  dozen  Knots  and  Breast 
Knots.  1  doz.  round  Silk  laces.  1  black  Mask. 

1  doz.  most  fashionable  Pocket  Handkerchiefs. 

2  pairs  neat,  small  Scissors.     1   Ib.  sewing  silk, 
shaded.   .4  pieces  binding  Tape.     6  m.  Minikin 
Pins.     1  m.  Hair  ditto.     6  Ibs.  perfumed  Pow 
der.     3  Ibs.  best  Scotch  Snuff.     3  Ibs.  best  vio- 
lette  Strasburg.     8  Ibs.  Starch.     2  Ibs.  powdered 
Blue.     2  oz.  Coventry  Thread,  one  of  which  to 
be  very  fine.     1  piece  narrow  white  satin  Ribbon, 
pearl  edge.     1  case 'of  Pickles,  to  consist  of  An 
chovies,  Capers,  Olives,  Salad  Oil,  and  1  bottle 
India  Mangoes.     One  large  Cheshire  Cheese.     4 
Ibs.  Green  Tea.     10  groce  best  corks.     25  Ibs. 
best  jar  Raisins.     25  Ibs.  Almonds,  in  the  shell 

1  hogshead  best  Porter.    10  loaves  double  and  10 
single  refined  sugar.      *****      12  }bs. 
best  Mustard.     2  doz.  Jack's  playing  Cards.        * 
*     *     *     *      1  1-2  doz.  Bell  glasses  for  Garden. 

2  more  Chair  Bottoms,  such  as  were  written  for 
in  a  former  invoice.     1  more  Windsor  Curtain 
and  Cornice.     100  Ibs.  White  Biscuit.     3  gallons 
of  Rhenish  in  bottles." 

There  then  follows  a  long  enumeration  of  arti 
cles,  evidently  designed  for  the  use  and  comfort 


APPENDIX.  231 

of  the  slaves  upon  the  estate ;  among  which  we 
observe  "*350  yds.  Kendall  Cotton,"  "  100  Dutch 
Blankets,"  &c.,  &c.,  together  with  numerous 
Garden,  Carpenter's,  and  Farming  tools,  and 
articles  of  Cutlery  and  Iron- ware,  sufficient  to 
supply  a  colony  preparing  to  populate  a  deserted 
island  of  considerable  size ! 

Among  the  medicines  ordered  (and  the  list 
seems  to  us  to  include  the  whole  Materia  Medi- 
ca  /)  we  light  upon  the  agreeable  items  of  "  Pearl 
Barley"  and  "  Sago,"  "  5  Ibs.  White  Sugar  Can 
dy,"  "  10  Ibs.  Brown  do.,"  "  1  Ib.  Barley  Sugar." 

After  this  follows  an  array  of  the  names  of 
medicines  to  be  used  in  Farriery ;  and  the  whole 
is  concluded  by  the  following — 

INVOICE  OF  SUNDRIES  TO  BE  SHIPPED  BY  ROBERT 
GARY  AND  COMPANY,  FOR  THE  USE  OF  MASTER 
JOHN  AND  Miss  PATTY  CUSTIS,  EACH  TO  BE 
CHARGED  TO  THEIR  OWN  ACCOUNTS,  BUT  BOTH 
CONSIGNED  TO  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  POTOMAC 
RIVER. 

For  MASTER  CUSTIS,  6  years  old. — 1  piece  Irish 
Holland,  at  4s.  2  yards  fine  Cambric,  at  10s. 
6  pocket  Handkerchiefs,  small  and  fine.  6  pairs 
Gloves;  2  Laced  Hats.  2  pieces  India  Nan- 


232  APPENDIX. 

keen.  6  pairs  fine  thread  Stockings,  4  pairs 
coarser  do.  4  pairs  worsted  do.  4  pairs  strong 
Shoes;  4  pairs  Pumps.  1  summer  suit  of  clothes, 
to  be  made  of  something  light  and  thin.  3  fine 
Ivory  Combs;  2  Horn  do.,  and  2  Brushes.  1 
piece  black  Hair  Ribbon.  1  pair  handsome  Sil 
ver  Shoe  and  Knee  Buckles,  10s.  worth  of  Toys. 
6  little  books  for  children  beginning  to  read.  1 
oz.  8d.  Thread;  1  oz.  12d.  do.;  1  oz.  2s.  do.;  1 
oz.  3s.  do.  1-2  Ib.  whited  brown  Thread.  1  light 
duffel  Cloak  with  silver  frogs. 

For  Miss  CUSTIS,  4  years  old. — 8  yards  •  fine 
printed  Linen,  at  3s.  6d.  1  piece  Irish  Holland, 
at  4s.  2  ells  fine  Holland,  at  10s.  8  pairs  kid 
Mits ;  4  pairs  gloves.  2  pairs  silk  shoes.  4 
pairs  Calemanco  do. ;  4  pairs  leather  Pumps.  6 
pairs  fine  thread  Stockings.  4  pairs  worsted  do. 
1-2  piece  flowered  Dimity.  2  yards  fine  Cam 
bric,  at  10s.  2  Caps,  2  pairs  Ruffles,  2  Tuckers, 
Bibs,  and  Aprons,  if  fashionable.  2  Fans;  2 
Masks  ;  2  Bonnets.  2  m.  large  Pins  ;  2  m.  short 
whites ;  2  m.  Minikins  ;  1  Cloth  Cloak.  1  stiff 
ened  Coat  of  Fashionable  S.Ik,  made  to  pack 
thread  stays.  6  yards  Ribbon  ;  2  Necklaces.  1 
pair  Silver  Sleeve  Buttons,  with  stones.  1  fash 
ionable-dressed  baby,  10s.;  and  other  Toys,  10s. 
6  Pocket  Handkerchiefs. 


NOTE  B. 

"  NOVEMBER  24th. — After  dinner,  as  I  had  heard 
some  threats  thrown  out,  that  if  the  ball  assem 
bled  this  night,  as  it  was  proposed,  they  presumed 
that  the  New  Tavern  would  cut  but  a  poor  figure 
to-morrow  morning,  these  fears  of  some  commo 
tion's  being  made  that  would  be  very  disagreeable 
at  this  melancholy  time,  in  disturbing  the  peace 
of  the  city,  I  concluded  if  possible,  to  prevent,  in 
order  to  which  I  went  to  Colonel  Hancock's  lodg 
ings,  and  finding  he  was  not  come  from  Congress, 
and  the  time  grew  short,  being  three  o'clock,  I 
walked  up  to  the  State  House,  in  expectation  of 
meeting  him.  That  failing,  I  requested  the  door 
keeper  to  call  Samuel  Adams,  which  he  accord 
ingly  did,  and  he  came.  I  then  informed  him  of 
the  account  received  of  a  ball,  that  was  to  be 
held  this  evening,  and  where,  and  that  Mrs. 
Washington  and  Colonel  Hancock's  wife  were  to 
be  present,  and  as  such  meetings  appeared  to  be 
contrary  to  the  Eighth  Resolve  of  Congress,  I 
therefore  requested  he  would  give  my  respects  to 


234:  APPENDIX. 

Colonel  Hancock,  desire  him  to  wait  on  Lady 
Washington  to  request  her  not  to  attend  or  go 
this  evening.  This  he  promised.  Thence  I  went 
and  met  the  Committee  at  Philosophic  Hall,  which 
was  large  and  respectable,  being  called  together 
for  this  only  purpose  to  consider  the  propriety  of 
this  meeting  or  ball's  being  held  this  evening  in 
this  city,  at  the  New  Tavern,  where,  after  due 
and  mature  consideration,  it  was  then  concluded, 
there  being  but  one  dissenting  voice,  (Sharp  De- 
lany,)  that  there  should  be  no  such  meeting  held, 
not  only  this  evening,  but  in  future,  while  these 
troublesome  times  continued,  and  a  Committee 
was  appointed,  immediately,  to  go  and  inform  the 
directors  of  the  meeting  not  to  proceed  any  fur 
ther  in  this  affair,  and  also  to  wait  upon  Lady 
Washington,  expressing  this  Committee's  great 
regard  and  affection  to  her,  requesting  her  to 
accept  of  their  grateful  acknowledgments  and 
respect,  due  to  her  on  account  of  her  near  con 
nection  with  our  worthy  and  brave  General,  now 
exposed  in  the  field  of  battle  in  defence  of  our 
rights  and  liberties,  and  request  and  desire  her 
not  to  grace  that  company,  to  which  we  are  in 
formed,  she  has  an  invitation  this  evening,  &c., 
&c.  Came  home  near  six.  After  I  drank  coffee, 


APPENDIX.  235 

1  went  down  to  Samuel  Adams'  lodgings,  where 
was  Colonel  Dyer.  Spent  some  time  pleasantly 
until  Colonel  Harrison  came  to  rebuke  Samuel 
Adams  for  using  his  influence  for  the  stoppage  of 
this  entertainment  which  he  declared  was  legal, 
just  and  laudable.  Many  arguments  were  used 
by  all  present  to  convince  him  of  the  impropriety 
at  this  time,  but  all  to  no  effect ;  so  as  he  came 
out  of  humor,  he  so  returned,  to  appearance. 

"  November  25th. — At  half  past  eleven,  went 
to  the  Committee  Room  at  the  Coffee  House ; 
came  away  near  two.  At  this  time  Major  Bay 
ard,  one  of  the  four  gentlemen  appointed  to  wait 
on  Lady  Washington,  reported  that  they  had 
acted  agreeably  to  directions,  that  the  lady  re 
ceived  them  with  great  politeness,  thanked  the 
Committee  for  their  kind  care  and  regard  in  giv 
ing  such  timely  notice,  requesting  her  best  com 
pliments  to  be  returned  to  them  for  their  care 
and  regard,  and  to  assure  them  that  their  senti 
ments  on  this  occasion,  were  perfectly  agreeable 
to  her  own." 


NOTE  C. 

"  To  THE  MARCHIONESS  DE  LA  FAYETTE. 

"Mount  Vernon,  25  November,  1184. 

"  MADAM  : 

"  If  my  expressions  were  equal  to  my  sensi 
bility,  I  should,  in  more  elegant  language  than  I 
am  master  of,  declare  to  you  my  sense  of  the  ob 
ligation  I  am  under  for  the  letter  you  did  me  the 
honor  to  write  to  me  by  the  Marquis  de  La  Fay- 
ette,  and  thanks  for  this  flattering  instance  of 
your  regard.  The  pleasure  I  received  in  once 
more  embracing  my  friend  could  only  have  been 
increased  by  your  presence,  and  the  opportunity 
I  should  thereby  have  had  of  paying,  in  my  own 
house,  the  homage  of  my  respectful  attachment 
to  his  better  half.  I  have  the  promise,  which  the 
Marquis  has  ratified  to  Mrs.  Washington,  that  he 
will  use  his  influence  to  bring  you  with  him  to 
this  country,  whenever  he  shall  visit  it  again. 
When  the  weight  of  so  powerful  an  advocate  is 
on  your  side,  will  you,  rny  dear  Marchioness, 
deny  us  the  pleasure  of  your  accompanying  him 
to  the  shores  of  Columbia  ?  In  offering  our  mite 


APPENDIX.  237 

we  can  only  assure  you,  that  endeavors  shall  not 
be  wanting  on  our  part  to  make  this  new  world 
as  agreeable  to  you,  as  rural  scenes  and  peaceful 
retirement  are  competent  to. 

"  The  Marquis .  returns  to  you  with  all  the 
warmth  and  ardor  of  a  newly-inspired  lover.  We 
restore  him  to  you  in  good  health,  crowned  with 
wreaths  of  love  and  respect  from  every  part  of 
the  Union.  That  his  meeting  with  you,  his 
family,  and  friends  may  be  propitious,  and  as  hap 
py  as  your  wishes  can  make  it,  that  you  may  live 
long  together  revered  and  beloved,  and  that  you 
may  transmit  to  a  numerous  progeny  the  virtues 
which  you  both  possess,  is  the  fervent  wish  of 
your  devoted  and 

"  Most  respectful 

"  Humble  servant, 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 

"  N.  B.  In  every  good  wish  for  you,  Mrs. 
Washington  sincerely  joins  me/' 


Accompanying  this   letter  was  the  following 
epistle,  addressed  to   the  little   Virginia  de   La 
Fayette,  whicn,  though  it  has  no  direct  connection 
with  our  subject,  is  too  interesting  and  character 
istic  to  be  separated  from  its  companion  : — 


238  APPENDIX. 

"  To  MADEMOISELLE  DE  LA  FAYETTE. 

"Mount  Vernon,  25  November,  1784. 

"  Permit  me  to  thank  my  dear  lit  ,le  correspon 
dent  for  the  favor  of  her  letter  of  the  18  of  June 
last,  and  to  impress  her  with  the  idea  of  the  pleas 
ure  I  shall  derive  from  a  continuance  of  them. 
Her  papa  is  restored  to  her  with  all  the  good 
health,  paternal  affection,  and  honors,  which  her 
tender  heart  could  wish.  He  will  carry  a  kiss  to 
her  from  me  (which  might  be  more  agreeable 
from  a  pretty  boy),  and  give  her  assurances  of 
the  affectionate  regard  with  wrhich  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  being  her  well-wisher. 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON." 


"  To  THE  MARCHIONESS  DE  LA  FAYETTE. 

"Mount  Vernon,  10  May,  1786. 

"  MADAM  : 

"  The  tokens  of  regard,  with  which  Miss  de 
La  Fayette  and  my  namesake*  honored  the  young 
folks  of  this  family,  will  cement  the  friendship, 
which  seems  to  be  rising  in  their  tender  hearts, 
and  will  increase  those  flames  of  it,  which  they 
have  imbibed  from  their  parents,  to  which  nothing 

*  George  Washington  La  Fayette. 


APPENDIX.  239 

can  add  strength  but  the  endearments  that  flow 
from  personal  interviews,  and  the  unreserved 
exchange  of  liberal  sentiments.  Will  you  no 
then,  Madam,  afford  them  this  opportunity  ?  May 
we  hope  for  it  soon  ?  If  the  assurances  of  the 
sincerest  esteem  and  affection,  if  the  varieties  of 
uncultivated  nature,  the  novelty  of  exchanging 
the  gay  and  delightful  scenes  of  Paris,  with  which 
you  are  surrounded,  for  the  rural  amusements  of 
a  country  in  its  infancy;  if  the  warbling  notes  of 
the  feathered  songsters  on  our  lawns  and  meads, 
can  for  a  moment  make  you  forget  the  melody  of 
the  opera  and  the  pleasures  of  the  court,  these  all 
invite  you  to  give  us  this  honor,  and  the  opportu 
nity  of  expressing  to  you  personally  those  senti 
ments  of  attachment  and  love,  with  which  you 
have  inspired  us. 

"  The  noontide  of  life  is  now  passed  with  Mrs. 
Washington  and  myself;  and  all  we  have  to  do 
is  to  spend  the  evening  of  our  days  in  tranquillity, 
and  glide  gently  down  a  stream  which  no  human 
effort  can  ascend.  We  must,  therefore,  however 
reluctantly  it  is  done,  forgo  the  pleasure  of  such  a 
visit  as  you  kindly  invite  us  to  make.  But  the 
case  with  you  is  far  otherwise.  Your  days  are  in 
their  meridian  brightness.  In  the  natural  order 


240  APPENDIX. 

of  things,  you  have  many  years  to  come,  in  which 
you  may  indulge  yourself  in  all  the  amusements, 
which  variety  can  afford,  and  different  countries 
produce,  and  in  receiving  those  testimonies  of 
respect  which  every  one  in  the  United  States 
would  wish  to  render  to  you. 

"  My  mother  will  receive  the  compliments  you 
honor  her  with,  as  flattering  marks  of  attention ; 
and  I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  delivering  them 
myself.  My  best  wishes  and  vows  are  offered  for 
you,  and  for  the  fruits  of  your  love ;  and  with 
every  sentiment  of  respect  and  attachment, 
"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Madam,  &c. 

"  GEORGE  WASHINGTON."* 

*  Sparks'  PRIVATE  LETTEES  OF  WASHINGTON. 


NOTE  D. 
"THE  EARL  OF  BUCHAN  TO  MRS.  WASHINGTON 

"  Dry  burgh  Abbey,  Jan.  28,  1800. 
"MADAM: 

"  I  have  this  day  received  from  my  brother,  at 
London,  the  afflicting  tidings  of  the  death  of  your 
admirable  husband,  my  revered  kinsman  and 
friend.  I  am  not  afraid,  even  under  this  sudden 
and  unexpected  stroke  of  Divine  Providence,  to 
give  vent  to  the  immediate  reflections  excited  by 
it,  because  my  attachment  to  your  illustrious  con 
sort  was  the  pure  result  of  reason,  reflection,  and 
congeniality  of  sentiment.  He  was  one  of  those 
whom  the  Almighty,  in  successive  ages,  has 
chosen  and  raised  up  to  promote  the  ultimate  de 
signs  of  his  goodness  and  mercy,  in  the  gradual 
melioration  of  his  creatures  and  the  coming  of 
his  kingdom,  which  is  in  heaven. 

"It  may  be  said  of  this  great  and  good  man  who 
has  been  taken  from  among  us,  what  was  written 
by  the  wise  and  discerning  Tacitus  concerning 
his  father-in-law  Agricola,  that,  "  though  he  was 
snatched  away  while  his  age  was  not  Droken  by 
16 


242  APPENDIX. 

infirmity  or  dimmed  by  bodily  decay  of  reason, 
yet  that,  if-  his  life  be  measured  by  his  glory,  he 
attained  to  a  mighty  length  of  days ;  for  every 
true  felicity,  namely,  all  such  as  arise  from  virtue, 
he  had  already  enjoyed  to  the  full.  As  he  had 
likewise  held  the  supreme  authority  of  the  state 
with  the  confidence  and  applause  of  all  wise  and 
good  men  in  every  part  of  the  world,  as  well  as 
among  those  he  governed,  and  had  enjoyed  tri 
umphal  honors  in  a  war  undertaken  for  the  de 
fence  of  the  inalienable  rights  of  mankind,  what 
more,  humanly  speaking,  could  fortune  add  to  his 
lustre  and  renown  ?" 

"  After  enormous  wealth  he  sought  not ;  an  hon 
orable  share  he  possessed.  His  course  he  finished 
in  the  peaceful  retreat  of  his  own  election,  in  the 
arms  of  a  dutiful  and  affectionate  wife,  and  be 
dewed  with  the  tears  of  surrounding  relatives  and 
friends,  with  the  unspeakably  superior  advantage 
to  that  of  a  Roman  general,  in  the  hopes  afforded 
by  the  Gospel  of  pardon  and  peace !  He  there 
fore,  Madam,  to  continue  my  parallel,  may  be 
accounted  singularly  happy,  since  by  dying  ac 
cording  to  his  own  Christian  and  humble  wish, 
expressed  on  many  occasions,  while  his  credit 
was  nowise  impaired,  his  fame  in  all  its  splendor, 


APPENDIX.  243 

nis  relations  and  friends  not  only  in  a  state  of 
comfort  and  security,  but  of  honor,  he  was  prob 
ably  to  escape  many  evils  incident  to  declining 
years.  Moreover,  he  saw  the  government  of  his 
country  in  hands  conformable  to  our  joint  wishes 
and  to  the  safety  of  the  nation,  and  a  contingent 
succession  opening,  not  less  favorable  to  the 
liberties  and  happiness  of  the  people. 

"  Considering  my  uniform  regard  for  the  Amer 
ican  States,  manifested  long  before  their  forming 
a  separate  nation,  I  may  be  classed  as  it  were 
among  their  citizens,  especially  as  I  am  come  of 
a  worthy  ancestor,  Lord  Cardross,  who  found  ref 
uge  there  in  the  last  century,  and  had  large  prop 
erty  in  Carolina,  where  Port  Royal  is  now  situ 
ated.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  thought  impertinent 
or  officious,  if  I  recommend  to  that  country  and 
nation  of  America  at  large  the  constant  remem 
brance  of  the  moral  and  political  maxims  con 
veyed  to  its  citizens  by  the  Father  and  Founder 
of  the  United  States,  in  his  farewell  address,  in 
that  speech  which  he  made  to  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives,  where  the  last  hand 
was  put  to  the  formation  of  the  Federal  Con 
stitution  ;  and  may  it  be  perpetual. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  such  maxims  and  such 


244  APPENDIX. 

advice  ought  to  be  engraved  on  every  forum  or 
place  of  common  assembly  among  the  people,  and 
read  by  parents,  teachers,  and  guardians  to  their 
children  and  pupils,  so  that  true  religion,  and 
virtue,  its  inseparable  attendant,  may  be  imbibed 
by  the  rising  generation  to  remote  ages ;  and  the 
foundations  of  national  policy  be  laid  and  con 
tinued  in  the  superstructure,  in  the  pure  and  im 
mutable  principles  of  private  morality,  since  there 
is  no  truth  more  thoroughly  established  than  that 
there  exists  in  the  economy  and  course  of  nature 
an  indissoluble  union  between  virtue  and  happi 
ness,  between  duty  and  happiness,  between  duty 
and  advantage,  between  the  genuine  maxims  of 
an  honest  and  magnanimous  people,  and  the  solid 
rewards  of  public  prosperity  and  felicity ;  since 
we  ought  to  be  no  less  persuaded  that  the  propi 
tious  smiles  of  heaven  can  never  be  expected  on 
a  nation  that  disregards  the  eternal  rules  of  order 
and  right  which  Heaven  itself  has  ordained  ;  and 
since  the  preservation  of  the  sacred  fire  of  liberty 
and  the  destiny  of  the  Republican  model  of  gov 
ernment  are  justly  considered  as  deeply,  perhaps 
finally,  staked  on  the  experiment  entrusted  to  the 
hands  of  the  American  people. 


APPENDIX.  245 

"  Lady  Buchan  joins  with  me  in  the  most  sin 
cere,  respectful  good  wishes. 

"  I  am,  Madam,  with  sincere  esteem, 

"  Your  obedient  and  faithful  servant, 

"  BUCHAN." 


NOTE  E. 

AFTER  some  particulars  in  relation  to  the  seve 
ral  churches  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Vernon, 
the  fair  writer  gives  us  the  following  interesting 
details  respecting  Washington  and  family  : — 

"  We  attended  the  Church  at  Alexandria,  when 
the  weather  and  roads  permitted  a  ride  of  ten 
miles.  In  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  he  never 
omitted  attendance  at  church  in  the  morning,  un 
less  detained  by  indisposition.  The  afternoon 
was  spent  in  his  own  room  at  home ;  the  evening 
with  his  family  and  without  company.  Some 
times-  an  old  and  intimate  friend  called  to  see  us 
for  an  hour  or  two ;  but  visiting  and  visitors  were 
prohibited  for  that  day.  No  one  in  church  at 
tended  to  the  services  with  more  reverential  re 
spect.  My  grandmother,  who  was  eminently 
pious,  never  deviated  from  her  usual  habits.  She 
always  knelt.  The  general,  as  was  then  the  cus 
tom,  stood  during  the  devotional  parts  of  the  ser 
vice.  On  communion  Sundays,  he  left  the  church 
with  me,  after  the  blessing,  and  returned  home, 


APPENDIX.  247 

and  we  sent  the  carriage  back  for  my  grand 
mother. 

"  It  was  his  custom  to  retire  to  his  library  at 
nine  or  ten  o'clock,  where  he  remained  an  hour 
before  he  went  to  his  chamber.  He  always  rose 
before  the  sun,  and  remained  in  his  library  until 
called  to  breakfast.  I  never  witnessed  his  private 
devotions,  I  never  inquired  about  them.  I  should 
have  thought  it  the  greatest  heresy  to  doubt  his 
firm  belief  in  Christianity.  His  life,  his  writings, 
prove  that  he  was  a  Christian.  He  was  not  one 
of  those  who  act,  or  pray,  'that  they  may  be  seen 
of  men.'  He  communed  with  his  God  in  secret. 

"  My  mother  resided  two  years  at  Mount  Ver- 
non,  after  her  marriage  with  John  Park.  Custis, 
the  only  son  of  Mrs.  Washington.  I  have  heard 
her  say  that  General  Washington  always  received 
the  sacrament  with  my  grandmother  before  the 
Revolution.  When  my  aunt,  Miss  Custis,  died 
suddenly  at  Mount  Vernon,  before  they  could 
realize  the  event,  he  knelt  by  her  and  prayed  most 
fervently,  most  aifectingly  for  her  recovery.  Of 
this  I  was  assured  by  Judge  Washington's  mother, 
and  other  witnesses. 

"  He  was  a  silent,  thoughtful  man.  He  spoke 
little  generally ;  never  of  himself.  I  never  heard 


248  APPENDIX. 

him  relate  a  single  act  of  his  life  during  the  war. 
I  have  often  seen  him  perfectly  abstracted,  his 
lips  moving,  but  no  sound  was  perceptible.  I 
have  often  made  him  laugh  most  heartily  from 
sympathy  with  my  joyous  and  extravagant  spirits. 
I  was,  probably,  one  of  the  last  persons  on  earth 
to  whom  he  would  have  addressed  serious  con 
versation,  particularly  when  he  knew  that  I  had 
the  most  perfect  model  of  female  excellence  ever 
with  me  as  my  monitress,  who  acted  the  part  of 
a  tender  and  devoted  parent,  loving  me  only  as  a 
mother  can  love,  and  never  extenuating  or  ap 
proving  in  me  what  she  disapproved  in  others. 
She  never  omitted  her  private  devotions,  or  her 
public  duties ;  and  she  and  her  husband  were  so 
perfectly  united  and  happy  that  he  must  have  been 
a  Christian.  She  had  no  doubts,  no  fears,  for  him. 
After  forty  years  of  devoted  affection  and  unin 
terrupted  happiness,  she  resigned  him  without  a 
murmur  into  the  arms  of  his  Saviour  and  his  God, 
with  the  assured  hope  of  his  eternal  felicity/' 


THE    END. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 
on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

FE6H  1968  3ft 
IN  STACKS 

JAN  3  1  '68 

liftRl2s68~9  ft*" 

FEB     i  1984        i 

' 

LC/M*  DEP^ 

MAY  2  4-  ^^ 

Bc/"*'r%    A  ci  //* 

HIM  1  7  1974  7  9 

UUn  J-    *     n**-i 

Kg  cia.   w  .,,  . 

•  SEP  •  —  m^— 

n   "i    O    1QQO 

j-jQll 

7B  

PEC.  Clh. 

FEB181990       | 

LD21A1!Or.3/C7                               Univ^ffernia     / 

(H241slO)4,6B                                                Berkeley                  / 

